Except Without Strength
by courtkirei
Summary: The support of friends, family, and ultimate faith can lead one to find true strength. This is the story of love, hate, tragedy, humility, forgiveness and healing that comes in battle between good and evil. *I know life happens but were back on, enjoy*
1. Background Prologue

PROLOGUE

In the eyes of some, real strength is defined as possession of extreme physical force. It is shallowly placated as the ability to overtake, overpower, and out-whit the opponent for the purpose of supreme domination. Then in turn this domination builds a sense of pride and confidence that lays the rather soluble foundation for a false sense of security.

It should be understood that one will not find strength through the ability girded behind a well chisel physique or through the abundant fibrous tendons that construct the muscle. Strength is made in the confines of the mind and it is naturally the mind that ultimately controls the destiny of its captor. This true strength lies within the conditioning of the brain, to achieve the ultimate purpose in life; whatever that may be.

Chun-Li Xiang is the only daughter of the world renowned first class detective Dorai Xiang of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agency within the Department of Homeland Security. Originally from the Chinese Secret Intelligence service, he came to the United States to further his career, and in time gained a notable respect through his near flawless investigative capabilities. For the first few years, he worked in the Operations Investigations sector and from there was able to crack a number of heavy cases for ICE leading to the apprehension of a large amount of highly desired fugitives around the world. Such cases covered a variety of offenses in and around the United States that dealt in global terrorism to large worldwide drug cartels, political scams, fraudulent corporate conspiracy, human trafficking and exploitations, as well as child pornography rings. From there the list went on.

Dorai later took a panel position with the International Criminal Police Organization, known famously as Interpol. Located in Lyon France, the organizations primary duty was to house a number of Law Enforcement officials from a total of one hundred eighty-eight other countries around the world in and effort to exchange crucial information on the world's most wanted, notorious, and vile criminals as well as organized crime syndicates. Because of his high expertise and skill, Dorai was specially assigned to be able to sit in as one of the many representatives for both China as well as the United States.

Chun-Li was proud of her father for all of his many achievements in life. In being the daughter of a well-known law official she too had wanted to follow in his footsteps to come into her own line of achievements and accomplishments. She was born and partially raised in Beijing China. For the first part of her young life her father detailed the globe in his quest to make the world a safer place to dwell. He came in and out of her life, while she was raised by her mother. Through elementary school and part of junior high she attended an international school on her father's request. "You'll know the world better this way. This will be good preparation before you take up law enforcement like me," he stated as explanation for him wanting her to attend. Though her first language had been Mandarin Chinese, she learned countless other languages while attending the school. They ranged from English, French, Arabic, German, and even some Japanese. Additionally in much of her spare time she focally studied martial arts through a local trainer known by her father. In this she found she had had easily excelled in the art of Kung-Fu.

The year she turned twelve, Chun-Li's mother had become sick with an incurable and unknown bacterial infection. Her condition baffled doctors, who were unable to determine the cause and source of the infection. They worked endlessly around the clock, finding ways to stabilize her, administering different medications and antibiotics, none of which helped. Without much of a surviving chance, her mother later died on a Friday morning, only three weeks after her initial diagnosis. Chun-Li's heart was shattered and she became reduced to a voided heap of emptiness. Though he had tried to remain strong for his little girl, Dorai was equally, if not more, broken from the tragedy. He rushed home upon the news, taking the month off to spend that time with Chun-Li. From there, the father-daughter bond only grew stronger.

Afterward, while her father remained overseas, Chun-Li stayed with her mother's younger sister Lin, who was a single mother, along with her younger daughter Ming, for the remainder of her time in junior high. Her father frequently visited as often as he could during that time, however upon entering high school, they had decided that she should come to France alongside him as he worked and gave insight in on different assignments.

Living in a strange country in the later years of her post-childhood life was not an easy task however Chun-Li accomplished this feat none-the-less. She graduated with honors at the top of her class and enrolled at Columbia University a year later in the United States where she studied a five year masters program in forensic psychology.

Conveniently Dorai was able to be detailed back to the United States for the purpose of working more intimately with ICE. With the aid of Interpol, the agency had him set up in New York to work on a case that had him detailed right there in New York with his daughter. It had been an ongoing and very complicated investigation for a number of years and initially Chun-Li hadn't understood much of what it was about. What she has known so far was that the organization of interest was a crime syndicate possibly known as Shadowlaw. It was an operation that was so large, that Dorai was able to find that it had been closely tied to many of the other cases he had solved. They had been involved in a number of illegal activities like drug trafficking, money laundering, and weapon smuggling and as of yet Interpol hadn't known whom or even the number of countries across the globe that had been involved.

Through her years in college while her father worked the case, Chun-Li had spent all of her time concentrating on her studies and her training in Kung-Fu. The Shadowlaw case had been the least of her concern. She knew her father had everything under control and in fair due time, the case would be broken.

_Or would it be?_

Unbeknownst to Chun-Li, a spill of terror was already beginning to trickle its way down into the core of her life. It's venomous poison slowly seeping into the contours of her inner depths. In due time, she would find herself in the center of a rather twisted entanglement of both chaos and confusion. There she would later realize that true strength and God-given faith are actually one in the same.


	2. Too Good to be True

**PART I**

**The Path of Most Resistance**

**CHAPTER ONE**

**Too Good to Be True**

**T**he time was well overdue and opportunity had finally arisen. An older, tall, thin, and rather homely looking gentleman wearing a white lab coat and thick framed glasses crossed the threshold of the dark room and momentarily paused. Before him sat a dark ominous looming figure of a man sitting behind a large desk that curved to his form. The workstation was arrayed in several of the most state of the art technologically advanced computers that were considered mere concepts in much of the rest of the world.

How those eyes almost shimmered in a sinister bright blue light from within void of the darkness. The profound presence that this man emanated only made the older man sweat profusely.

"What is it?!" The large man spoke, distracted from his current engagement. His tone was short and impatient, his snarled expression barely visible from the cloak of shadows. His rather hulking size gave the definition of both his size and what he was minutely capable of.

"My many apologies for the interruption sir, but our intelligence team has just made contact." Dr. Johan Luvco spoke in a cloaked accent of eastern European. "It appears as if they've assuredly located him."

The shadowed figure straightened into position upon the announcement and from behind the desk sat forward in interest at the obvious of valuable information. His tone was strained with both excitement and that element of vengeance as he spoke. "I knew he couldn't bounce around this globe for too long before we'd find him. Where is he?"

"You would not quite believe this sir, but he's back on our trail and they've got him in the United States, set up in New York. It looks as though he's been here in discretion for the past few years." the man replied.

"Interesting… " The large shape replied, the immediate tone of his voice could not be determined. "Have we found an exact location in that city?"

"Well sir," the man explained. "With the aid of an inside covered informant from the NYPD we discovered he was placed in a modest apartment in Manhattan, by the agency. He resides there with his daughter, a graduate student at Columbia University."

"Excellent!" The voice roared in a demonic type of undertone. "Have the place monitored."

"It's already done."

The pair of eyes faded off into the blackness, closed in contemplation. The silence became evident, until he spoke once more. "It would be foolish to infiltrate the situation head on. Where law enforcement of world-wide variety is having us investigated, we would certainly bring attention to ourselves for sure…"

"A different approach…?"

"We work our way from the inside out… Yes. That way we'll destroy both him and his daughter." As if suddenly realizing something, he promptly stood. "Bring forward my top assassin!"

"We know who you're referring to and he's been dispatched to the location!" The older man replied. "It seems as though he'll play the perfect role where the girl is concerned." On his way out of the room Dr. Luvco bowed with the utmost loyalty.

After he was gone, the General M. Bison from behind the desk laughed sadistically. It seemed as though his string of luck was making a change for the better. In his wave of emotion those blue eyes burned in an icy intensity.

***

She was counting down the days to graduation; just a little over three weeks to go. In a rather studious nature, Chun-Li had devoted all of her time in preparing for the last set of finals. She would do well. There was no doubt in that.

New York City was one of the most expensive places to live in the United States. Initially in an effort to save on the cost of boarding in a dorm at Colombia University, she had agreed to share the two bedroom condo, issued by the agency with her father Dorai. The unit sat on the sixteenth floor of a moderately well do to building in the Upper West Side of Manhattan on the corner of 27 West and 72nd street. From her bedroom window she could see a clear view of Central Park. It was especially lovely to watch in spring time.

The living arrangement had worked well for the past two years they had lived there. She hadn't seen much of her father due to their conflicting schedules as he worked at nights while Chun-Li slept, then he came in on mornings when she was just getting ready to start her day. She hadn't owned a car, and frankly she didn't need one in such a vast city that held a variety of transportation.

On weekdays her schedule consisted of a line of classes throughout the day. She remained on campus the in that time and usually wouldn't return home until the evening just as Dorai was preparing for his duty shift. Typically they would try to gather briefly for dinner and would usually take turns cooking the meals. However it was more often than not that he wouldn't even have the time to eat much less shower once an important lead came through. Other times she wouldn't see her father for two days at a time. If the lead was important enough to develop into an arrest, he would not come home.

Perhaps in other typical family settings such an arrangement between a child and their only surviving parent would have been unnerving and even damaging to the relationship. Chun-Li however had been used to such circumstances. Her father had been in and out of her life for the entire time she was on this earth and not because he wanted to be. Therefore she was used to it. If anything this so called loneliness from another's perspective, only encouraged her to be independent, self sufficient, and overall responsible for her own life. But perhaps deep down, she herself still longed for someone.

Chun-Li sat in her bedroom, text book opened and on the subject of criminal forensics. She lay stretched across her bed, on her stomach, knees bent allowing her legs to swing in the air. She had already reviewed countless times for the finals of the six courses taken for her last semester; however it didn't hurt to look it over a few times more.

With the window open, a cool spring breeze whisked its way in her room. It blew papers, stirred her clothes, and slid her long dark brown hair across her face . From outside the sound of traffic blaring emanated from below. The city noise was constant. In that same moment a knock came at her door. Chun-Li jolted up just as she saw her father walking through the doorway.

"I- I didn't hear you come in!" She said, startled. Chun-Li had supposed it was typical for a man with 25 years of law enforcement to have the ability to move around like a cat burglar unnoticed. Perhaps by now, prowling about had become like a second nature to him.

Dorai stood there, hand resting on the door frame. His demeanor was friendly and he regarded his daughter with a smile. "Still studying?" He asked, ignoring her statement.

"Finals are in two weeks." She exclaimed, "I have to get ahead of the game."

"You're always head ahead of the game," he said without sarcasm, then peered down at her textbook. "Forensics… How's that coming along?"

"Great. Just reviewing all of my subjects…" Chun-Li paused briefly to regard the time. It was around 5 pm on a Friday. Her eyes returned to him knowingly "Hey you're home rather early."

"Well I'm still on call… always on call, but I decided to take some leave time."

"Great." She said repeating herself, although that time her eyes were fixed to the content in her textbook.

"You know, to spend some time with my daughter," he continued, "that's if she would unglue her face from the books and take a breather for once."

Grinning, she turned around and swung her legs over the bed. "I suppose… if you're taking a break, then I can too."

He smiled lovingly at her.

"What were you thinking?"

"Well… the Air Force CID Agent that I've been working with on this case showed me this wonderful sushi restaurant in Brooklyn the other night."

"Haven't had sushi in a while… sounds good." She replied.

"And it's my treat… we'll leave in about… say an hour?" he asked as he closed the door.

Chun-Li only nodded smiling. The thought of her father actually taking the time out to spend it with her was a real treat. After all, they hadn't seen much of one another where they were both so busy.

Upon her father's departure from her room, Chun-Li shut the text book turning her attention to the already opened closet adjacent from the end of her bed.

For an honor student with a 4.0 grade point average, Chun-Li's sense of style contradicted her academic achievements. Through assortment of clothing that had no sense of conformity, she managed to find a knee length yellow strapless summer dress arrayed in small blue tropical flowers. She matched them with a pair of white slightly elevated sandals. The arrangement was simple. It was nothing more or nothing less, just simple.

Dorai drove them in his undercover car in a twenty minute drive to the Brooklyn area of New York City. Hananoki was the name of the sushi bar restaurant that sat on the border of the China Town section, located in Flushing. From the outside the place appeared to look like a hole in the wall, however the inside was well renovated. Lushly decorated in fine Japanese décor, the rice paper screens, geisha paintings and red dimly lit lamps richly added to the atmosphere. There in the entranceway sat a larger than life-size robust Buddha. Chun-Li found its grin to be somewhat of a creepy welcome, and while making her way inside she regarded the figure with uneasiness.

The hostess, a young Asian woman greeted them upon them entering. "Sushi bar or table?" She asked, her English was broken and cloaked by a thick Fujonese accent.

"Table, please." Dorai simply insisted. He looked to Chun-Li for further confirmation.

When they nodded to one another in agreement the hostess led them through the small restaurant. It was moderately busy on that Friday evening. The patrons had mostly consisted of China Town residents from the area and the diversity was minimal.

The two of them were seated at a small booth towards the back of the building which had suited both of them just fine. Dorai helped Chun-Li comfortably into her seat then took his own. "You look lovely sweetheart." He said complimenting her attire.

Chun-Li only shrugged, then nonchalantly said, "Oh it's just something I put on. I'm not much on the latest fashion. Actually I think I've had this dress for five years."

Her father smiled again at her and rested the knuckles of his folded hands right under his mustache. "You know…" he began, "your mother would be so proud of you if she could see where you were now…. I certainly am."

"You know I couldn't have done all of this without your encouragement and support."

A waiter approached them taking order for drinks. She ordered a glass of water, while Dorai ordered a tall can of the Japanese imported beer Sapporo. During their request, they didn't immediately notice the tall astonishingly handsome man make his way into the restaurant, eyes locked on both of them as he took a seat at the bar.

The waiter left their presence to retrieve their orders and as Chun-Li went to mark their order on the sushi list, Dorai was first to notice the stranger peering over at them.

"Mmmm… the dragon roll sounds delicious." Chun-Li exclaimed unaware initially of what was transpiring.

"Order whatever you want sweetheart." Dorai told her turning his attention to her momentarily; he then looked back over to the stranger who continued to peer over at them.

Chun-Li followed his gaze that time. "Hmm? What are you looking at?" She asked him.

Dorai's initial expression was caught in suspicion. "Looks like you have an admirer."

Chun-Li settled her eyes on the man at the bar. His appearance nearly startled her even from the distance she was from him. He was handsome; incredibly handsome. From what she could see from the distance, his face was balanced in appearance with an even straight nose, well formed lips, and stunning light eyes. His golden hair flowed down beyond his back. Chun-Li figured in her mind that he may have even just come from a modeling photo shoot, for his attire was surely expensive and well kept, yet he appeared casual in the same token; skin evenly tan like a model out of one of those Armani or J-Crew catalogs. When their eyes met, he smiled at her.

Chun-Li slightly blushed but looked away shaking her head. "He's probably meeting someone here."

The suspicion soon left his face when she blushed and Dorai smiled knowingly at her.

The waiter returned with their drinks momentarily blocking their view from the man at the bar. He then left with their order, taking it over to the sushi bar. Chun-Li returned her gaze to the man at the bar however his attention that time had been turned to the bartender as they spoke inaudibly from where she sat.

"You should go and talk to him." Dorai suggested finally.

"And you're crazy…" Chun-Li replied her tone matching her fathers. Dorai had always been bolder and much more outgoing than his daughter. Yet she understood his suggestion of wanting her to meet someone new.

She hadn't dated in a few years and her previous and only relationship had been during high school. It was brief and somewhat painful, even for someone of the age of seventeen. The boy's name had been Gaston Beauchamp of whom she met when attending an International school in France. She dated him for a long six months; however that ended when her father had gotten the word that he would be transferred back to the United States assigned to a new case. Although the relationship had only ended on good terms, the thought of having to say goodbye was still difficult. Afterward they didn't remain in contact as first promised and the experience only left Chun-Li's heart the more guarded than it had originally been.

"Why not?" Dorai asked sipping his beer, there was a hint of jest in his tone. "You're a beautiful girl."

"A very biased statement coming from my father…" She included. "Besides, how do you know he's looking at me? He very well could be looking at you." She suggested.

"He smiled at you!" Dorai exclaimed. "Why would he be looking at me anyway?"

"Maybe he's undercover by Shadowlaw assigned to watch us." She half joked.

Dorai cleared his throat, demeanor turning serious perhaps upon mention of the Shadowlaw case. "I guess you can't put anything past anyone. You never know… But…" He averted his gaze back over to the man again, who now had sat in the opposite direction of them, his back faced to watch the large television in the corner of the restaurant, a glass of white wine in his grasp "It looks unlikely…"

"But he looks out of place here." Chun-Li said matter-of-factly.

"Your law enforcement instinct is showing... You'll be a natural when your time comes to be an agent…"

"…learning from the best!" She finished his sentence.

Dorai took another sip of his Sapporo as he continued. "To sum him up, I'd say he's here for modeling business. There are quite a number of top modeling agencies here in this city and I always see quite a few models walking the streets whenever I'm out."

"But in Brooklyn?" Chun-Li asked. "Why here, I'd figure all of the modeling agencies would be in Manhattan."

"Not necessarily" Dorai spoke, "they're all over the city."

"Maybe…"

After a several more minutes their food arrived, decorated beautifully as sushi should have been. They ate on, talking about different subjects, but mostly on Chun-Li's upcoming graduation and what she intended to do afterwards. With the connections her father had, she was offered a position to begin training as a junior detective with ICE upon her graduation, in the Washington DC district. The salary was decent, living stipends and benefits were included. It was more likely than not that she would be taking the position.

They ate and talked on for a round of minutes and upon the end of their meal Dorai said, "Like I said before, I'm so proud of you. I am Chun-Li, but…" He gestured over to the man at the bar. "I want you to start going out and meeting people… And I don't mean for the purpose of friendship. I'm not getting any older and I would love to see my daughter happily married and with grandchildren that I can spoil."

"You're only fifty-three," she said blankly, "and I'm only twenty-four. There's plenty of time for that. I'm sure God will send me the right man when it's time for him to."

Unlike most Buddhist Chinese, Chun-Li and her Father were Christians. Dorai was 27 at the time he met her mother who was only 18 and together, before she was born and before Dorai had gotten involved in the Chinese law enforcement sector, God found her parents. With this new found Christian commitment the ties of both their families' Buddhist structured foundation were broken, along with any relationship and contact the both of them had with their parents. It didn't matter though, they loved God too much to try and appease their families' wishes of practicing Buddhism. Chun-Li never knew either set of Grandparents. Her parents were married in a Christian church within two months of meeting each other. The ceremony was small and discrete, for they faced persecution or even death if they had been discovered. At that point in time, in a nation that was still struggling with the bonds of communism and the effects that Mao Tse Tung had left in his wake, Christianity had nowhere near conformed with the nation's predominate practice of Buddhism and therefore anyone caught practicing was persecuted and put to death. In the following year of their marriage Dorai had joined the force in fighting crime and immediately had a knack for it based on sheer innate ability. Within two years Chun-Li was born, their Christian values adamantly placed and held firm in her upbringing.

"He will," Dorai assured, referring to God. "I'm just thrilled about the thought of you dating someone. I only want you to be happy."

"I _am_ happy." She insisted.

"You still should talk to that gentleman over there at the bar. What harm would it do?"

"Look at him, he's gorgeous…"

"And you're not?"

Chun-Li chuffed and averted her brown eyes once more to the stranger who again had his eyes fixed upon her. Again he smiled.

"He looks interested." Dorai noted.

Chun-Li looked away shaking her head.

"You're just shy. You—" His words were cut short by the bouncy tune that emanated from his cell phone.

Since they didn't have any family in the area and didn't know very many people on a personal level, Chun-Li knew what that meant. She groaned, unnerved, his work was calling.

Dorai flipped open the small black device, bringing it to his ear. "Xiang speaking…" His tone immediately turned serious and stern, nowhere near the gentle and easy going tone in which he had engaged with her previously.

Chun-Li couldn't make out the words of the person on the opposite line so the conversation was one-sided.

"Where are they Guile?" Dorai asked starting to stand as he listened to the obviously important information. "Okay, I'll be there in fifteen minutes." He flipped the phone shut.

Chun-Li only stared up at him. Her lip was tight.

Dorai smiled sadly at her. "I'm sorry honey, but duty calls."

"It's fine. I understand." Chun-Li insisted, though her words deceived. She should have been used to this by now, but this notion still didn't make it any easier.

Her father fished into his wallet pulling out three twenty dollar bills. "This should be enough for the subway home." He said, placing the money in front of her.

"More than enough…" She added dryly taking only one of the bills.

"Well then keep the rest for later taxi rides." He leaned in kissing her cheek as he embraced her. "I'll take care of the bill on my way out."

"Thanks Father, be careful." Her tone was sad but a small smile had crept across her face that time.

Dorai headed for the exit, leaving the remaining two bills in front of her. He made his way across the restaurant seemingly in a hurry. Then suddenly his steps promptly slowed as he approached the stranger at the bar. Momentarily he turned towards Chun-Li, a sly grin had crossed his face in the most unthinkable act.

Chun-Li's mouth slowly dropped opened in astonishment. "No…" she whispered.

Dorai approached the young man at the bar, catching his attention. He leaned forward slightly to speak an inaudible message. The young man naturally seemed a bit dismayed by her father's forward approach but did not shun him. They now both gazed up at her momentarily, smiling. Dorai's smile had been quite mischievous. They visibly exchanged a few more words and then with a final friendly gesture he patted the stranger's shoulder. Dorai then made his way to the front counter where he paid the bill and was finally gone from sight

Chun-Li wanted to hide under a rock in that moment. But much to further her dismay the handsome man arose from his seat at the bar, with his wine glass in hand he casually made his way over to where she was seated.

Her cheeks grew hot as she blushed uncontrollably. She just could not believe her Father had done that!

"What a nice man your father is," he spoke in a smile as he approached her table. His European accent was thick, and this novelty trait further had added to his beauty.

"And bold…" Chun-Li added looking down at her plate of half-eaten sushi.

"May I?" He asked regarding the empty chair that had once occupied Dorai.

"Sure."

He sat, setting the glass of white wine in front of him.

For one uneasy and tense moment the two sat in silence. Chun-Li twiddled her fingers in a nervous fit.

He spoke first, eyes staring in a surprised amazement. "Such a beautiful woman you are…" His tone was suave, and his demeanor was charming.

Chun-Li finally peered up at him upon his statement. She didn't want to be rude, however upon looking into his piercing green eyes something struck her. Initially there was a feeling that left her insides wrought and her spine chilled. There was just _something _not right about his eyes…

"My name is Vega Fabio De Cerda." He introduced himself. A Spanish name, which explained the thick accent. He took hold of her hand which rested on the table and gently kissed it. She blushed more, but then thought as his name registered through her mind.

Chun-Li's eyes squinted in visible thought. "Cerda... Why does that name sound familiar?"

"Do you keep up with Bullfighting in Spain?" He asked. His stare was intense and focused upon her.

"Yes I think that's where I heard it... We vacationed in Spain quite a bit while my father was detailed in France."

"Ah?" His tone went up an octave with interest. "Have you watched my televised bullfights…?"

Chun-Li shrugged. "Maybe a few times…" Her face contorted to disgust. "Although no offense, the inhumanity of all was too much to handle and I could never finish watching it. Let's not forget the amount of blood an gore"

Never letting go of her hand, he licked his lips slowly on the mention of blood and continued to stare, eyes cutting her unmercifully. "So I assume that you learned some Spanish while there?"

"A little, but that was so long ago that I lost a lot of it…"

"_Es un placer conocerte."_ He took hold of her hand and gently kissed it. "_Encantado…_" His eyes pierced her.

She had to look away again but said. "… It's nice to meet you as well Mr. Cerda." She responded in English. "I'm Chun-Li Xiang."

"I know. And please, call me Vega. It is only suitable in this amorous occasion."

Perplexed, she asked "How did you know my name?"

Eyes glancing to the side, Vega's smile never left him. "Your father told me when he encouraged me to come and talk to you."

"Ah…" She said. It wasn't like Dorai to have given such information out so freely to a total stranger, but at the same time she had no reason to distrust his word.

"Lovely hands…" He said admirably. His ice-cold hands caressed her own.

"T-thank you…" The quiver in her voice had been apparent and as if on cue he let go. "I'm not really used to such forward flattery either but I know it's all in culture as well. I hear Spanish men are quite the charmers, and very romantic." Upon saying that, Chun-Li had immediately regretted her words.

He chuckled quietly and sipped his wine. "I see you're well aware of the Spanish heritage."

Chun-Li matched Vega's smile in an attempt to loosen up. She didn't understand why she had been so tense and convinced herself that there should have been no reason.

"May I buy you a drink?"

Chun-Li waved a hand in protest. "No… I don't really drink."

"No?" He repeated and looked at his wine glass. "Are you sure?"

Chun-Li peered at his glass in curiosity and smiled. "I'll be honest Vega; I've never had a drink before."

"Never…? Then you should please try one." He immediately waved a hand over to a nearby waitress who momentarily made her way to their table. Vega ordered her a glass of chardonnay Sauvignon Blanc, a white wine. "This will make you a little less tense." He commented. His eyes continued to regard her with genuine admiration and infatuation, but there was something else there as well. Something she couldn't quite place her finger on.

Chun-Li's typical waiter quietly returned with her glass of the white wine sitting down in front of her. He then allowed them more room while taking the plates of uneaten sushi away.

Vega toasted to her, lightly clanging his half-empty glass against her own.

She brought the container of strong smelling liquid to her lips and sipped. The liquid has tasted as strong as it had smelled, but there was a sweetness to it that had made it not entirely undrinkable.

Vega waited for her approval.

"It's alright..."

"Wine is an acquired taste." He explained "But I'm happy you don't entirely hate it." His smile was strange as if he had read between the lines of some hidden message.

Sipping her wine again, Chun-Li asked "What brings you here to the United States?"

"Vacation…" He stated simply. "Actually I own a condo here and I needed to get away for a bit."

"Understandable… but… do you like it here?"

He nodded unsurely. "It's good. I couldn't say I could live here on long term basis but I like it. It's different here."

"It's crowded."

"It is…" he agreed

As Chun-Li drank her wine and talked on with him she found that her tenseness had begun to slowly dissipate as he had promised it would. She smiled more and throughout the evening they talked and touched on various subjects. Most of it was about her as Vega seemed careful to give too much information about his own life away. She hadn't quite noticed it initially especially in her wine induced haze and in the moment it hadn't mattered. She talked about her school, what she was studying, how should would be graduating in three weeks. Vega listened in attentively asking questions, and well engaged, seemingly interested in what she had to say. Chun-Li was finally comfortable. Comfortable enough to even accept a second glass of chardonnay.

In the discourse, they also touched on personal hobbies; martial arts which he had not studied but compared it's concept and form to his own experience in the bullfighting arena. Politics was briefly touched on as well; however religion had been avoided for reasons yet unknown to her. Before she knew it, the clock marked with various artificial sushi that was mounted on the wall read 11:30.

"It can't be 11:30." she said suddenly.

Vega checked the clock on his cellular phone confirming the time.

Chun-Li had by now felt the effects of the wine. As she stood she began to sway slightly but held her composure as best she could. "I should be getting home."

"May I walk you to your car?"

Chun-Li began making her way slowly to the exit. "I don't have a car; I'm taking the subway."

"Shall I drive you home?" He offered.

Although she wouldn't have normally accepted such an offer from a total stranger in her right mind; her slightly intoxicated mind had obliged.

"Where do you live?"

She told him.

Upon their departure, Vega paid for their drinks at the front register.

The air had cooled considerably on that May night. Chun-Li shivered slightly in the change from the earlier temperature. They had only walked a couple of yards before they reached Vega's car; a sleek and stunning black Ferrari that dawned European tags. He disengaged the lock with the remote and opened the passenger door helping her inside. Momentarily he got in behind the driver's seat next to her and started the engine. Its purr was loud yet smooth as it rumbled into the night, passing pedestrians eyed the car in amazement. Within minutes, they were off.

They rode in silence for the first few minutes until Chun-Li found herself saying, "I normally don't let strangers take me home like this."

Vega slightly chucked his quiet chuckle. "I'm not a stranger now."

"That's not what I mean. I just met you."

"I don't bite." He promised, and then added a touch of sexual sarcasm as his voice dropped to a low sensual tone. "Unless you want me too…"

"Not that either…"

He drove considerably fast, weaving in and out of lanes as they went. It would have made her nervous any other time, but the haze of wine had masked all of that.

In almost no time they arrived at her building. Vega parked the Ferrari on the curb in the front and sat with the engine idling.

Chun-Li would draw the line here by not inviting him inside. Although now upon studying him she wasn't so sure that it was what he wanted. He seemed anxious yet not over her, rather something else.

They were silent for a few moments.

"Thank you." She finally said.

"My pleasure Miss Xiang…" He pulled is cell phone into view opening it. "May I call you sometime?"

"Sure." Chun-Li insisted.

They exchanged numbers and prior to her exit of the car he leaned in to kiss her cheek tenderly.

More color flooded to her already flushed face as well as a wave of another kind of feeling.

"I will be calling you soon."

Stepping out into the night she said, "Great."

"_Adios mi Amor_…"

After bidding her goodbye, he then raced away into the night, disappearing around the corner. The black Ferrari's engine could still be heard in the distance but that soon faded as well.

Chun-Li stood in the night briefly, a cool breeze rushed through causing her to shiver. What had she just experienced? The thought of such a gorgeous man with a Greek god-like physique has appeared out of nowhere and was interested in her? It was almost too good to be true.

Greeting the doorman in the lobby, Chun-Li made her way upstairs taking the elevator. Her apartment was dark and quiet, and in the condition they had left it earlier in the evening. In her room shei undressed in the dark slipping into a comfortable knee-length tee shirt. She moved her Criminal Forensics textbook out of the way, and slid comfortably under the covers. Her thoughts lingered on Vega a moment as she lay there .

It didn't take long before Chun-Li had succumbed to the effects of sleep.

In the latter portion of the night, she dreamed about his eyes.


	3. A Father's Love

**CHAPTER TWO**

**A Father's Love**

**C**hun-Li did quite well on her finals, as was naturally expected. Graduation came on a Saturday, and though she hadn't been chosen as valedictorian, she was still recognized as one of the students who was to be graduating with honors in her masters program. Thankfully her Father was able to attend the ceremony, for he had been the only reason why she even obliged to walk across stage.

Dorai cheered for his daughter as her name was called over the intercom. In her black cap and gown Chun-Li made her way across the stage to accept the container that would later hold her degree. Leaving stage left to descend to the floor again, her eyes were met with another unexpected face.

Vega's gaze was locked on hers. The man she had met three weeks prior. How had he made it in without a ticket?

Since their initial acquaintance three Fridays ago, she hadn't seen Vega. He had called every so often as he said just to talk and their conversations were engaging just as they had been that night at the restaurant. Yet he didn't ask her out on a date and up until that point Chun-Li was beginning to think that he wasn't as interested in her as first guessed. Perhaps this had been his subtle way of letting her down easy, thinking in his own mind that her rather conservative approach had possibly bored him. However to her dismay there he sat, in attendance of her graduation and she found some reassurance in her own sense of self.

After the ceremony, Chun-Li found her father outside amongst the large crowd of graduates and their families. Dorai met his daughter in an immense hug.

"I'm so happy you could make it!"

"I'm happy I was able to be here. Days off are few and far between." He said.

From out of the crowd, Vega immerged. His eyes were fixed upon them in another strange gaze. Together at once, the both of them watched his approach. Dorai looked at his daughter with another appreciative smile across his face.

"Is this who I think it is?" Dorai asked. He was almost surprised.

"Father, this is Vega Fabio De Cerda."

"Wow, you're that bullfighter from Barcelona…" Dorai marveled. "I saw some of your fights in Spain, wow; it's nice to see you again." The two men shook hands.

"Believe me, the pleasure is entirely mine Mr. Xiang." Vega casually told him.

Dorai looked at Chun-Li, stifling a laugh and said, "I see my persuasion skills worked."

Vega laughed softly then looked at Chun-Li. "I just wanted to come and congratulate you on your graduation. I'm sure your father is proud."

"Thank you." She replied.

"I sure am." Dorai agreed.

A brief silence fell between the three of them.

"So?" Vega turned to Chun-Li. "What are your plans for the rest of the afternoon?"

Dorai exchanged glances with his daughter. "Well I was just planning on having a nice graduation dinner with my daughter, at our favorite sushi place."

"You can join us if you'd like." Chun-Li offered. "If that's alright with you Dad…" She turned to Dorai.

"That'd be great." He agreed. "The more the merrier. We'll be meeting over there around six."

The two of them looked to Vega.

"I suppose..." The young man said as he realized he was being put on the spot. "Except, I must first take care of some important matters first; I will likely be late."

Chun-Li wouldn't have dared pried into discovering what those important matters' were. Though her curiosity had surfaced, she refrained from any questions. Vega had seemed like a private person overall and perhaps that trait had furthered her attraction in him.

"Great. Well, we'll see you there." Dorai said as he reached into his pocket retrieving the keys to his patrol car. Turning to Chun-Li, he said "Could you go get the car and pull it up to the front?"

Chun-Li eyed her father knowingly. He was up to something. Something which had required her to leave the premises, however she obliged. "See you later Vega."

"Goodbye pretty." He replied with a humble nod.

Chun-Li left, leaving the two men alone to converse.

***

A quarter passed six o'clock that same evening, Dorai drove Chun-Li in his undercover patrol car back to the Hananoki sushi bar. Upon first entering the small Japanese styled restaurant, Chun-Li had first noted that it had had been occupied by a small group of familiar patrons. Then she realized they were all people she knew; friends and family members alike.

"SURPISE!" The small crowd yelled in unison.

Taken aback, Chun-Li looked to her father for answers. "But- What are they…?"

"… They're here for your graduation celebration…" Dorai explained.

In that moment Chun-Li just stood there. She was touched, wanted to cry and tears brimmed to the surface of her eyes. She hadn't seen some of these people in years.

Dorai continued. "… There weren't enough graduation tickets for everyone to see you walk across stage but they were able to make it here and we decided to throw a small graduation party for you.

Within the group of people she spotted Fei-Long. He was a young man who was just a few years older than she. The two of them together as children studied the Kung-Fu martial arts under the same list of instructors. They hadn't seen each other in person since she was twelve and he fourteen but they managed to stay in touch even after all those years. The last she had heard, he had moved to Hong Kong to pursue a career in film acting. His uncanny resemblance to the late Bruce Lee had contributed greatly to his success.

Fei-Long was first to hug her. "It's good to see you, I'm so proud! Congratulations!" He cried as he held her. He looked so grown up and beamed with self-confidence, nothing like the arrogant and immensely competitive often times argumentative child she had remembered him to be. This self confidence had esteemed from him a shining and positive quality.

"How are you!?" She said, tears now flowing. "Wow! How long has it been!?"

"Quite a while…" He said. "Your father got in touch with me to tell me about your graduation, and it ended up working out because I have an audition for a movie this coming Monday in Manhattan."

"That's great." Chun-Li said. "We should definitely get together while you're here."

"For sure..." Fei-Long said.

Chun-Li was next greeted by her mother's sister. It was her aunt Lin, who had taken her in after the death of her mother. She was accompanied by her young daughter Ming, except she was no longer a young toddler anymore, but around the age of ten. She had grown so much since the last time Chun-Li had seen her.

"How are you Chun-Li?" Ming asked her. Chun-Li was even more dismayed that Ming could speak English, though her mother spoke little to none.

She hugged the both of them, telling them in Mandarin Chinese that she was glad to see them.

"Chun-Li!" the young girl cried, "You have to take me around to see the city! I already love it here!"

"Sure sweetie, we'll go, but where did you learn to speak English so well?"

"I funded her to go to the International school in Hong Kong," Dorai stepped in saying. He had such a good heart.

Making her rounds that time, she encountered her old friends whom she had met along the way during world travels with her father Dorai. They were two young men around her age named Ken Masters and Ryu Hoshi. She had met Ken Masters a few years back when her father was assigned on a money laundering case that involved his father, a wealthy billionaire tycoon by the name of Dalton Masters. Apparently it was found that several of the CFO's from his overseas firms had been embezzling company funds. It had been Dorai who had apprehended all the perpetrators found to be involved.

She met Ryu through Ken. The two had been friends since childhood having studied under the same instructor, a master Gouken. Ryu was quiet natured and hadn't been the type to want to openly discuss situations in his life, therefore Chun-Li had not known much about him.

"It's so great to see you guys…" She cried. "I can't thank you enough for coming."

Ryu, a tall and usually rather serious Japanese man hugged first. "Congratulations Chun-Li." He said.

"Yeah we wouldn't miss this for the world." Ken said. He was definitely the more out-going person of the two. Neither had changed in appearance. Ken still had his shoulder-length hair dyed to a strawberry blonde as he always had. Ryu hadn't changed either, his dark hair still cropped short and not conformed with any sense of style. His rugged handsome features were subtle as he always wore a thoughtful look of contemplation in his quietly solid nature.

Standing close by with his family was Major William Guile a Criminal Investigation Division (CID) agent for the military. The middle aged military officer had the typical blonde spiked haircut and tattoos of American flags planted on both upper biceps. Chun-Li hadn't known Guile very well, but he and her father had worked together on the Shadowlaw investigation for a few years now. The Major did much of his investigations on the Shadowlaw case within the strict confines of the military bases worldwide and had worked close with Dorai to exchange pertinent information.

Chun-Li heard that only a few years back Guiles best friend and fellow CID agent disappeared without a trace. The confusing occurrence left Guile an angry and bitter man, fueled by vengeance, his mission was to find his friend and to take revenge on the perpetrator. It wasn't easy for him, since many had given him up for dead.

His wife, a tall attractive blonde woman named Julia stood close by with Amy, their seven year old daughter. Chun-Li had occasionally watched Amy on the evenings when Julia and Guile wanted to have some time alone. It was evident, although Dorai had already informed her , that Julia was expecting their second child, the tell-tale small bump in her belly indicated this.

Guile greeted her first, shaking her hand. Much like his gaze, his grip was firm and subtle. "Congratulations kid." He simply said.

Julia hugged her, being the warmer of the two. "Yes," she said, "we're so proud of you."

"When is your due date?" Chun-Li asked instinctively patting her belly.

"I have another six months ago." She said smiling

"It's twins!" Their daughter Amy spoke in.

Chun-Li's eyes brightened, as she was happy about the surprising news.

"Yes." Julia nodded. "There are two in there…" She leaned in further to whisper that time. "William is still trying to process all of the news."

"Congratulations to you as well." Chun-Li told her.

"Thanks." Julia turned to regard the younger unfamiliar attractive blonde woman that stood there. "This is my little sister Eliza. I'm not sure if you knew this but she's dating your friend Ken."

"Don't remind me of it." Guile stepped in bitterly. He was ignored.

Eliza happily initiated the handshake. "It's so nice to meet you she spoke." She resembled Julia quite a bit in looks and height.

"I'm glad you guys are all here to see me." Chun-Li said. She received mixed responses in return

Dorai helped Chun-Li to her seat at the head of the large party table, as others found theirs. Assortments of appetizers and drinks had already been waiting on the table.

"The food's already been ordered." Dorai explained. "It should be out shortly."

"Great." Chun-Li said, and then looked around. "I guess Vega hasn't made it here yet?"

"Doesn't look like it." Dorai said. "He did say he would be late, so he'll be here."

"So who's Vega?" Ken asked from across the way.

Before Chun-Li had a chance to respond, Dorai answered for her. "He's a new love interest."

"Father!" Chun-Li cried. She felt her cheeks grown hot at her father's worded speculation. Looking to Ken, she said "He's just a friend I met a few weeks ago."

"…A famous Bullfighter from Spain." Dorai added, his tone was joking.

"Spanish guys are romantic." Eliza spoke in; everyone was initially dismayed by her speaking up, after being so quiet and seemingly distant for the duration.

Ken turned to his girlfriend, who sat next to him. On his face showed an expression that was attempting to joke, although it wasn't convincing. "What do you know about Spanish guys anyway?"

Eliza smiled, turning her eyes up to the ceiling as her shoulders shrugged in a jesting manner. "I don't know just common knowledge?"

With his ego slightly bruised in such an indirect manner, Ken quieted down none-the-less.

After a few minutes, the main course came. Three of the servers, two men and one woman arrived. Each carried a large platter with assorted sushi, beautifully decorated as it had always been. Chun-Li found herself in such a way that magnified her true place in happiness. Being around people she loved.

Dorai lead in their prayer, being that most people at the table claimed themselves Christian their heads nodded. Those that weren't, politely refrained yet were respectful.

"Lord Jesus, we come before you today…" Dorai began, "to give thanks to you, to exalt your name, and to give you high praise. Lord we thank you for giving Chun-Li the mind to contain the wisdom knowledge and power to do your work. We thank you for finding the way to help her achieve in all of her scholastic endeavors. We also thank you for our loved ones here; that you would give them their own specific guidance and purpose in life. I speak a hedge of protection over each and every one of us here today. Most of all Lord God we thank you for directing our paths to lead us into that everlasting truth. Let us all lean on one another through good times and bad and let this fellowship between brethren generate an even greater bond that we can all have and share in times to come. We all pray this in Jesus name... at thy will…. Amen."

"Amen" the voices at the table repeated in unison.

Setting his chopsticks to grab some sushi from the platter, Guile said half jokingly "Xiang I always said you needed to be a preacher."

"Definitely," Julia agreed.

"Well…" Dorai said. "I knew God's calling in my life when everything fell into place so well upon my entrance into Law Enforcment. It just suddenly became a second nature. I knew that God wanted me to be there to represent the law and to be a protector of the weak and helpless. There's a lot of evil in this world."

"There is." Chun-Li agreed, and so had others. She almost felt and oppressing benevolent force that weighed down on the earth's atmosphere. Its power was only getting stronger by the days and she witnessed the outcome of this force through countless number of evil deeds played out and then subsequently reported across the media waves. It was always depressing to ponder on.

As they ate on, Vega arrived late as he had said he would; in his hand was a bouquet of a dozen red roses arrayed in baby's breath wrapped in cellophane. He presented them to Chun-Li upon his arrival.

Chun-Li thanked him and by a force of habit took their scent in through her nostrils.

Her friends all watched him cross the room while they ate. Chun-Li felt a bit awkward in the transition and decidedly stood to introduce him, "Everyone, this is Vega."

In response came a mixture of different greetings, along with finally, some smiles. Vega nodded humbly in response, taking a vacant chair next to Dorai. He appeared uneasy.

As they ate, Chun-Li had noted Guile occasionally staring at Vega in calm contemplation. It looked as though he were searching for something in the young man, coming to a consensus in his mind on what he actually and truly thought about Vega. Ken and Ryu regarded him in a similar manner although probably not for the same reason. Eliza seemed enamored by him, giving Ken all the more reason to size the young matador up quietly.

Vega was portioned well in size and Chun-Li could tell he'd taken good care of himself. The thin white dress shirt he wore had indicated that a firmness of rippling muscles flexed just underneath the cotton surface. Her thoughts went astray for a moment as she pictured what may have been beneath the clothing.

Through-out the time they ate she would find Vega occasionally staring at her. Perhaps it was a look of desire. He was beautiful, but there was something about those eyes. The feeling she had gotten initially upon meeting him returned. The eyes were strange yet she did not exactly know why. Could it have been the color of them? ….Their shape and texture? Or was it even the fact that they almost carried a hawk-like quality; the eyes of a predator. She shuddered and once more let the feelings pass disregarding her instinct completely to replace it with a shallow rational.

After dinner and drinks had been consumed, the lightly tensed atmosphere had given way to subtle comfort. With their initial guards and barriers down, Chun-Li found the others openly talking with Vega, and he in turn with them.

Dorai leaned back in his chair, his stomach stuck out in an exaggerated attempt to appear much larger than it actually had been. "Well, I'm full." He spoke aloud, though his initial gesture hadn't really called for one.

"Man, you 'n me both…" Guile admonished. "I could go to sleep right here." He checked his wrist watch.

"What time is it anyway?" Dorai asked matter of factly.

"It's a little passed 2100 hours."

"Huh?" Ken asked. "English please!"

Guile didn't comment, only regarding the young man with a peripheral glare.

"That means 9:00." Eliza muttered under her breath, appearing both annoyed and embarrassed by Ken's rash composure.

Dorai stood. "I need to be going then. I've got to at least get a few hours of sleep in before I start my shift."

"You mean they have you working the night of your daughter's graduation!?" Guile cried half in disbelief.

"It never ends," said Dorai.

Chun-Li smiled. "It's alright. I plan on staying here a little while anyways."

Guile chuffed. "Not me, we've got to get home and get this girl to bed."

"I'm not tired!" Young Amy protested.

"Well I am!"

Together, Guile and his family headed for the door with Dorai. Upon leaving, Chun-Li hugged all of them, including Guile. Minutes later Ming, along with her aunt left as well. They had another engagement to attend with a friend whom they'd known in Chinatown.

"See you tomorrow?" Ming asked on her way out, looking up at Chun-Li. The girl's large onyx eyes were bright, eager and full of expression.

"Of course…" She promised. "We'll see each other tomorrow."

After Ming and her mother left, Chun-Li returned back to the table by now half empty as most of the guests had left.

Chun-Li took a seat at the table once more, where Vega was now sitting across from her. He leaned forward in his chair toward her, his hands with their neatly manicured finger nails folded out before him. Those eyes met hers. His well formed lips came together to produce a small smile.

Before he had a chance to speak to her, Ken stood from his place at the table only to come around and reseat himself next to Vega. His eyes continued to size the bullfighter up has he had done the entire evening he was there.

Vega paid no mind, and seemingly regarded Ken as if he weren't there.

A second or so went by before Ken finally looked over to Chun-Li, asking "What's going on later tonight?"

Chun-Li found herself shrugging. "No clue, I didn't think there _was_ anything going on."

"So let's have something go on then." Ken insisted almost impatiently.

Chun-Li looked over to Fei-Long, then Ryu and Eliza and Finally to Vega.

"Why don't we go out to, like time square?" Eliza suggested. "There are lots of things to do out there on a Saturday night."

Everyone exchanged glances.

"That sounds alright with me." Ryu was first to say.

"Yes let's go there," Said Fei-Long.

"Fine," Ken replied, his tone was reluctant. "I wasn't really up for Time square; especially since there's, like, these awesome night clubs here in the city."

Chun-Li looked to Vega to hear his input.

"I would go. However unfortunately have to tend to some matters. Something very important…" He replied. "Maybe next time, I can take you out?" His hand lightly caressed her cheek as if to ward off the slight disappointment she was starting to feel.

"Like, don't take this the wrong way Vega, but I so totally love your accent!" Eliza complimented, her eyes were fixed on him.

Trying to appear discrete, Ken shot her a glare in return for her questionable comment.

"Thank you…" Vega simply replied. He hadn't looked her way, nor even showed much regard, except for his comment. His attention remaining on Chun-Li he continued. "I'll call you in the morning?"

Chun-Li nodded accompanying a reassuring smile. "Yes…"

"You have a good time with your friends tonight. Stay out… have fun. We can catch up later." He encouraged her as he stood from the table. Before his departure, he kissed her cheek, and when he was gone Chun-Li found herself taking the dozen red roses her had brought her, and smelling them.

"…and then there were five." Fei-Long said.

"Chun-Li, girlfriend, you've got it bad," Said Ken.

"What?" She asked caught off guard by that statement.

"He's got it bad for her too." Ryu added. "You can see it in his eyes…"

"Yes." Eliza agreed. "How romantically cute!"

Changing the subject quickly, Chun-Li asked. "Okay so when are we leaving? Are we taking a taxi?"

"I drove the Escalade here." Ken explained. "We can all fit in there. It saves money too."

"How'd you manage to get a car over here when you live in Seattle?"

"Dude! My Dad has like, a condo in almost every city he does business in. He's hired caretakers for each one, and each condo he has like comes with its own car to go with it for easy access to city driving. Eliza, Ryu and I are stayin' at his Condo in Manhattan while were here."

And that was just how wealthy Ken's Father had actually been. Being the owner and founder of one of the world's top financial firms, and share holder of countless others, Dalton Masters, according to Forbes magazine, was ranked the fifth wealthiest man in the world. The only downfall Chun-Li saw in this was that Ken hadn't really seen much of his father through his life, and this showed itself in subtle ways through his attitude. Dalton Masters had figured it was just as effective to substitute required time spent with his only son to have it replaced with buying Ken whatever he wanted. It was a poor excuse for a Father-Son relationship if Chun-Li had ever seen one, as well as petty and shallow. This approach only gave Ken a false sense realization that he could obtain anything he wanted.

"It sounds alright." Fei-Long finally spoke up. Grabbing his light wind breaker, he said. "So let's go."

The meal by now had been paid for, and within minutes, the five of them were out the door and headed for the evenings activities.

***

The day had been long, though it was fruitful, productive, and left cherished memories; it also left him feeling tired in the same beat. Dorai Xiang settled into his Manhattan apartment at a quarter to ten that Saturday evening. The dark and stillness of the place had created the atmosphere he needed in order to unwind for the night. Peace and quiet was golden.

Coming in through the front door, he placed his windbreaker coat on the provided hook in the entry-way. Several assorted pairs of both his and Chun-Li's shoes had waited on the ceramic titled floor of the foyer. Dorai slipped off the loafers he had worn that day allowing them to join the other dozen or so pair of shoes by the entrance.

Without switching the light on, he crossed the large threshold, and entered down a short hallway that ended at his bedroom. Once there, he removed his clothing, throwing them on the bed as he made his way into the connecting master bathroom to shower.

The glow on his daughters face that evening couldn't have made him happier than he had still remained in that moment. It was her expression of pleasant shock upon entering the restaurant and seeing the people she loved; the few people that she actually called her friends, the brimming emotional tears that surfaced because she had been so touched. Recalling that fresh memory in his mind has caused even Dorai's own eyes to water a bit. Chun-Li's happiness was everything to him. She was his pride and joy, although he hadn't ever wanted to admit that in full detail to her.

Unfortunately it had been back to business on the Shadowlaw case starting the early hours of tomorrow. His agents had just been informed of a definite exchange that would happen out at the piers that afternoon. This had come from years of careful planning and direction. Some of the undercover agents had gotten word of the transaction through actual Shadowlaw members they had been shadowing for months. If all went as planned, a huge loss should soon rock a large part of the organization, leaving only a needed and rather valuable exposure. They were finally onto Shadowlaw, after all these years, in a way that would allow the operation to expose easy access to the ultimate man responsible.

A large team of agents from ICE, FBI, CIA, and just about the entire jurisdiction of NYPD force would be there to make arrests. They were expecting to apprehend well over three hundred Shadowlaw thugs or more. Perhaps from there, Dorai's schedule would become more flexible once operation would be blown wide open. It was likely and he looked forward to it. Dorai figured that with many of the arrests, would come confessions; people pointing fingers at once another and eventually layer by layer the core would be exposed. It would only be a matter of time.

When the water reached a suitable temperature, Dorai showered for approximately twenty-five minutes. Hot water and open pores had always been a natural sedative for him.

He dried off and returned to his bedroom to dress for the night. Upon arriving in his room, Dorai found that the light had been switched off. He could have sworn he had left it on, and actually he had.

Figuring the bulb had blown in the ceiling, he crossed his dark bedroom in attempts to try the switch, only to find that the light had actually indeed been turned off. The light re-illuminated the room as he flipped the switch.

_Odd... _

Dorai hadn't even had time to rationalize the mystery behind the light with the mind of its own, when suddenly as he turned to make his way to the dresser, a solid instrument forcefully cracked across his right temple and forehead. He cried out in both surprise and pain; in that split second all coordination and awareness began to fog. He fell.

Dizzy, head throbbing in an intolerable pressure, vision initially fogged and blurred, Dorai laid there. He tried to stand and raise his head and torso and then his effort was thwarted as a sharp kick of someone's hard shoe against his upper back sent him into the floor again. He always carried a gun and he _had_ to get it.

Blood from the first blow trickled down, over his brow and eyelid to soak into the white carpet. Acting fast that time, he managed to grab the length of the shoulder holster that he wore earlier in the day. As the entirety of the holster fell to the floor, he unhooked, grabbed the gun and successfully rolled to his back to face the intruder.

Seemingly out of nowhere, his face was met with what initially looked like a set of three sharp bladed knives that ruthlessly tore open the soft flesh in three's, half a second after that as he pulled the trigger, a kicking foot met both his wrists and the gun flew out of his hands. Gunfire rang out and the bullet lodged in the ceiling above. The intruder stopped in his place, knowing that Dorai was once again defenseless.

Blood flowed freely across Dorai's face that time, around his eyes, on his nose, and into his mouth. The sharp pain was almost unbearable. Fortunately his eyes had been spared and he was finally able to get a look at the intruder in his bedroom.

Before him stood a tall shirtless and nicely sculpted man, his long hair was pulled back tightly in a braid. His face was concealed by a shapeless mask. Two eyes stared with a crazed intensity from the eyeholes. Along his well formed body and muscles was a two dimensional life-sized image of a large serpent printed into the skin. The snakes menacing eye seemed to demonically taunt Dorai, as it rested on the chest of this intruder, its snake body coiled around the man's torso and arms and eventually disappeared behind a sleek pair of knickers. Gloved and strapped over the intruders hand was the source of pain on his bleeding face, for there sat the three pair of knives that had been arranged to form a claw. Fresh blood, his blood, stained and dripped from them.

Dorai shouted "Who are you!?"

There in turn came no answer from the faceless man.

Still shaken, he cautiously rose to his feet. The crazed eye man did not move.

"Who _are_ you!?" He repeated.

When there came no answer again, Dorai stepped off to the right carefully. He had to find the gun.

As if sensing Dorai's thoughts, the intruder lunged forward at him. Dorai quickly side stepped his opponent and at the same time grabbed the man's tight neck in a tight arm bar. His weight however had shifted too much and was sent back off his feet, along with the killer. Dorai' shoulders smashed into the mirror causing it to snap from its backing. Several articles which had once rested on the dresser top were suddenly strewn about across the floor.

Now at that point Dorai was starting to realize that this man was strong, was fast, flexible, and he had martial arts experience. He kicked up and back, well over his head attempted to get Dorai in the face. He missed and his foot smashed the mirror into shards, and he then tried again in a backwards head-butt, missing most of Dorai's face but catching his left jaw.

He forced the seemingly younger man to the ground that time, they met face to face, and Dorai got in a few punches in that time, pummeling his fists over the man's masked face. With his punches he realized the mask had been made of a solid well polished painted iron. An angry groan escaped the man's lip, but that was all it had been…

Before he could be struck again, Dorai rose to his feet in time. He kicked the dazed man in the chest as he rose, sending his back into a tall chest of drawers, the clatter was loud. He laid there propped against the fallen piece of furniture in a half sitting, half lying position, and didn't get up.

Frantic, Dorai rushed to find his cell phone. In search of it, he hastily dressed and realized that he too needed to find the gun that had been lost somewhere in the room from the struggle. It was unclear to him if the man laying there had been unconscious. There was the strong possibility that he wasn't and he had to stay mindful.

Before finding the phone or weapon, the intruder suddenly rose and quickly rushed at him. His speed and agility was impressively well advanced. Dorai had no time to dodge the attack and at once the two men fell in a violent embrace. The instant that his back hit the floor, the younger man raised his clawed hand rushing down. His exposed bare chest was instantly violated as the tri-series of blades, penetrated deeply and forcefully in a once, twice, and thrice motion, without hesitation.

In that instant he found breathing to be difficult, his throat wheezed and rattled in a desperate attempt to breath. One of the stabs had pierced one if not both lungs. With his adrenaline still pumping, he managed to catch the arm of the taloned hand as it attempted a fourth strike that was seconds away from ripping out his throat.

They struggled on for moments. During the trepidation, Dorai managed to execute a hold on his wrist that allowed him to grab the claw until he was able to wrench them off. He then took the bloody abomination and threw it off, elsewhere.

A frustrated and muffled cry escaped his opponent that time and in an effortless attempt, his fists came at Dorai. Blocking them, Dorai suddenly found a new flow of power and kicked the young man through the closed door. Wood splintered, metal shrieked as the door tore away from its hinges. The man landed out into the hallway floor.

By that time Dorai was starting to grow weak, the effects of the vital wounds were greatly wearing on his body by the second. He walked after the fallen man, and as his opponent tried to rise to his feet, Dorai kicked him down from behind once more. He grabbed his long braided pony-tail and pulled, lifting him to his feet once more, Dorai sent him forcefully face-first into the drywall of the living room. There was a loud crack as it gave way in one section where the masked man's face had hit. The intruder fell again, and was still once more.

Dorai paused. He needed to get the gun and the phone. He had no time to spare. Keeping his back unturned he stepped through the living room backward towards his bedroom, only that time he didn't make it. With his breath shortened and his insides sliced and bleeding, Dorai Xiang reluctantly collapsed where he was.

_You have to stay awake._

Dorai laid there his face turned to the ceiling that time. All attempts to get up, regardless of how bad it hurt was thwarted, for he could no longer move, much less breathe effectively. His saliva tasted of blood so strong, and upon bring his hand to the inside of his mouth, he realized that blood was coming from somewhere other than the wounds on his face. It was coming from his esophagus, from his burst lung. His vision started to fog. The prognosis was turning grim, but he knew he _had_ to stay awake.

In front of him, he heard stirring in the direction of his intruder and only moments later he found the man, by now deemed a ruthless killer, hovering over him. Those eyes through the mask starred down. They were wide in what was perhaps amusement; the eyes of a crazed man.

An empty laughed escaped from behind the mask, and then in a muffled yet familiar voice he finally spoke. "My dying Detective Dorai… I have a message for you from General M. Bison, leader of the crime syndicate Shadowlaw. He says… 'Game over'." With that being said, the killer unstrapped his mask to reveal his face

In that moment he realized the very deadly mistake he had made. How could he have not suspected this? Utter dismay, shock, dread and worry took Dorai at once. He tried reacting in a gasp but couldn't. "You…" He said in a voice that was barely above a whisper. He attempted to raise a now bloodied hand toward the menace but was effortless "I-it can't be true… It just can't be true!"

***

Chun-Li suddenly didn't feel well. Her stomach felt as though it were holding a large bowling ball. As Ken drove the five of them to their Time Square destination she suddenly spoke from the back seat, "Ken could you just take me home?"

Everyone's attention fell upon her instantly and Ken's eyes watched her from the rearview mirror.

Ryu, who sat next to her in the back seat asked "You alright?"

"I-I'm not sure. My stomach all of a sudden…" She spoke uneasily. "It just came on all of a sudden."

"Maybe you got some bad sushi." Fei-Long half suggested.

"Maybe…" She repeated. "Ken I don't live too far from here; just make a left at this street. I live another 15 blocks or so."

Ken quietly did so, turning the full sized SUV onto the indicated street.

Eliza turned around to face Chun-Li from the front passenger's seat. "That's a bummer you feel bad girl. Maybe we can hang out tomorrow. I think you're cool."

Chun-Li smiled. "Sure thing." She wanted to match Eliza's words with a similar complement, but couldn't. She didn't know her well enough to make such a statement.

"Where do I stop?" Ken called from the wheel.

"Just keep going, I'll let you know."

They drove on in silence.

As Ken finally neared her residential building, Chun-Li informed him to stop. He parked the SUV at the curb and put the vehicle in park.

Sitting in the middle had required Ryu to get out of the car to access Chun-Li. "May I walk you to your door?" He asked softly. His light brown eyes looked her over in genuine concern. They were so soft.

Chun-Li smiled. "I'll be alright. Thanks though."

He smiled but only briefly, for he was a more serious natured person. "It's fine. Give us a call tomorrow or something."

"Take care of yourself Chun-Li!" Ken called from the opened rear passenger door. Get better so we can all go out 'n party tomorrow night!"

Ryu continued to stare at her, but finally climbed back into the Escalade. Within seconds, Ken sped off; the vehicle disappearing into the traffic on that Saturday night.

By now that heaviness in the pit of her gut had only intensified. Chun-Li wanted to vomit. She hurried through the revolving doors of the building and was greeted by the doorman on duty. Smiling as she passed, she quickly made her way over to the four set of elevators waiting for the car to return to its main floor.

An overwhelming sense of restlessness came to her, and she could not explain why. As the car finally reached its destination, Chun-Li climbed aboard and made her way to the 16th floor. The hallway outside the entrance to theirs and a score of other apartments was dimly lit as it had always been. Yet somehow in that moment there had been something ominous about the dark hallway setting and she couldn't quite explain why.

Nearing the door as she retrieved the key from her purse, she unlocked the metal door and slowly opened it into the darkness. From the illuminated hallway she could see the outline of a figure in the large dark living room. It stood there watching her as she neared.

"F-Father?" She called, surprised to find that her voice was shaking. The apartment door shut behind her

There came no answer.

Down the hallway light spilled from beyond her father's opened bedroom door. As the front door had shut, light from Dorai's room better illuminated the figure, that she now realized wasn't her father. Stricken with fear, Chun-Li slowly inched closer and circled around the large white leather sofa before her. On the floor, surrounded and soaked in blood laid Dorai.

Lips trembling legs shaking with fear, she ran to his side. The intruder backed from her nearing the opened window close by. His face had been concealed by what looked like in the shadows to be a mask with two eyeholes. Not seeing the man eyes through the shadows, Chun-Li imagined they stared menacingly at her. He was tall, and his hair that was pulled back disappeared into the shadows behind him. A tattoo of a large and evil-looking snake, jaws opened in the midst of attack, encircled his well formed torso and right arm. She took in careful notice of it.

Laying there in the blood soaked carpet; Dorai looked up into his daughters eyes. His face had been slashed open in three places to a point of where he was almost unrecognizable. Blood smeared his face. His eyes were red and glazed over, and tears had pooled within. Chun-Li was unable to exactly determine the severity of his injuries and feared how bad it had been. Therefore she didn't want to move him from where he laid on the floor

At once she turned to the intruder screaming," Who are you!? What have you done?"

Instead of responding, the man nimbly slipped through the opened slide away window. He paused a moment more only to gaze upon her before he was gone, disappearing into the night.

Dorai struggled to speak; he reached for her with a quivering bloodied hand.

"What happened to you Father?" She asked peering down at him. "Who did this?"

He grabbed at her, his demeanor held a place of urgency. His eyes tried to tell her something but due to his injuries he was unable to speak.

"Father?" She called. "You know who that was, don't you? You know who did this to you?"

Blood flowed from his gaping mouth as he struggled to speak, however the effort of words could only as empty rattled rasps escaping his throat. Just then his eyes looked passed her as if she had seen something on the ceiling above him. Pleasantness overcame them and he reached toward the ceiling with an extended arm.

Chun-Li jarred himr slowly "Father, stay with me, I'm here, I'll call an ambulance just stay with me…. Don't leave me here" Her voice quivered that time and fresh tears began to flow.

His eyes met Chun-Li's that time, and as with all of the strength Dorai could manage to muster he whispered one word. "Forgive…"

"Father?" Chun-Li cried. "Don't leave me alone here! Please you will be okay!"

Dorai fell silent; his eyes stared off into a deep but beautiful unknown. Upon looking at him she knew that his life had left him.

"DON'T LEAVE ME HERE ALONE!!!" Chun-Li cried out. Her anguished screams echoed out into the crisp cold night.


	4. Shallow Intimacy

**CHAPTER THREE**

**Shallow Intimacy**

**I**t was a job well done in the successful assassination of Interpol ICE agent Xiang. Yet in the same notion it had as well seemed like a final plan of action to ruin him, when the following afternoon, such an important and well planned operation had been foiled leading to the arrest of 367 men. General M. Bison, prime leader over the Shadowlaw crime syndicate , only moments ago learned that Senior Special Agent Dorai Xiang had obtained information about their private transaction using spies, and undercover agents. This operation that the detective had so intricately conducted was well planned, well conceived, and well executed. This gave Bison such a deep and heavy rage to admit that the now dead detective was the initial man power behind the large apprehension. It was a loss that totaled nearly forty-seven million dollars.

This ironic unfolding of events had reminded him of the large and devastating blow left in the wake of a suicide bomber's final destruction, because in essence Agent Xiang might as well have committed suicide upon his interference with Shadowlaw affairs. Yet unfortunately there was no longer anyone there that could even take the brunt of Dorai's actions to a point of where it would even matter. Bison at once found the irony of it both amusing and infuriating in a combined notion.

His top assassin, Vega who had been given the assignment to take out Dorai, could not be immediately located in the days following his well planned murderous deed. Bison had wanted to personally congratulate the young man with a well earned bonus. Yet the sudden evasiveness that had been expressed through his deliberate absence had been only a validation of his odd and mysterious nature.

In addition to Agent Xiang, Bison had also ordered the girl to be killed; however there had been no news on her death and he began to wonder if killing her now in the time of swirling investigations, arrests, and the media's coverage around entire scenario would not have been a smart thing.

Though he had been a great edition to Shadowlaw for a number of years, and his servant-hood to the organization commendable, Vega was terribly strange none-the-less. The very enigma of this young man's noticeable facade would not have been found in his personality; but within his homicidal nature. It had even been a known fact that he had not always been this way. It was trauma, which had led Vega to be what he was.

Bison at one time had former dealings with the boy's step-father and for reasons quite unclear to Bison, this same man killed the boy's mother. Rumor had it, the child she carried at the time of her death had not been his, but another mans and news of this sent her husband into a jealous and murderous rampage. The young boy only fifteen at the time, happened upon the murder scene and mentally snapped; killing his step father in a blind rage. The traumatic experience warped his innocent little mind into disrepair turning him into a rather useful and macabre tool. Sad cases such as these were of pure gold to the Shadowlaw organization.

M. Bison currently was at the point where he faced a realization about Shadowlaw. Their major loss which had lead to their crucial exposure severely jeopardized the organization. He sat there at his desk, frustrated and contemplating on what to do next. He needed to start his regrouping.

***

Chun-Li leaned forward into the open casket to kiss the cold lifeless cheek of her father. With a bit of make-up and applicator applied, the morticians had done a fairly decent job in restoring the wounds and concealing what he endured the night of his death.

It had been a little over a week since that fateful night where she found her father mortally wounded, and Chun-Li still wasn't able to ease the pain that had emanated through-out her very being. The feeling had only worsened; the hole caused by her loss had only left her feeling hollowed out and empty; the mere shell of a young woman.

Though she remained quiet, the tears spilled out and poured over her father's lifeless body. The hurt and the upset had built up so much within her that her knees buckled inward and she began to fall to her knees.

Guile came down next to her to help Chun-Li into her seat. His face was worn and tired. Though no tears had shown in his blue eyes, the traces of a grief induced stress were evident.

"C'mon kid." His tone was gentle and full of empathy. Chun-Li had never heard him speak in such a way.

Once seated in the church pew, Julia came by her side. Tears were both prominent in her eyes and down her thin pretty face.

Final viewings at any funeral were never easy to withstand. Chun-Li had witnessed this scenario a number of times with friends and family over the years, however she never dreamed she would have to face such a terrible realization at her age. In a sense she had always viewed that her father was invincible, and would withstand the test of time. Her dreamy imagine of this unrealistic portrayal of immortality and invincibility only left her further disappointed and empty.

Now as the funeral attendants closed and sealed off the casket, some of her hope and enthusiasm about life had been shut away within it.

Guile's family, cousin Ming, her Aunt and Fei-Long rode the designated limousine with her to the cemetery. By now a countless number of mourners were already present at the gravesite. Most of them were people she had only met briefly throughout this difficult day in passing as they expressed their condolences. A stream of cars lined the edges of the large cemetery's main street lane. Many were law enforcement squad cars lined with officers; there were senators present, politicians and some of Dorai's fellow ICE Agents, as well as many others in which she did not readily know or recognize. It was clear to her from seeing this that he had been a very well known and respected man.

Fei-Long helped her out of the Limo, and as to be expected his mood was quiet and somber. Side by side they walked through the many rows of headstones on those whom had gone before Dorai. Trailing close behind her was Ming and her mother; and not too far behind them were Guile and his family.

That early June afternoon was bright and sunny with a hint of overcast off to the west. A warm breeze swept passed them to sway the array of flowers and landscape that decorated the well known New York City Cemetery.

In that moment Chun-Li somehow felt peacefulness within herself. The tears had, for the moment, ceased and all was calm.

The casket's brown polished exterior glimmered in the sunlight, as it was briefly sustained by a set of pulleys over the gaping mouth of opened earth. Across the top of it sat a large arrangement of deep red roses arrayed in baby's breath and green fern-like leaves. Standing along the side was a line of waiting officers and at the head stood the pastor. Behind the position of officers were a collection of mourners from across both sides.

Fei-Long lead Chun-Li to the front where she faced a line of agents, officers and detectives. For a moment everyone remained silent, the only sound was brisling leaves in the slight breeze around them. Chun-Li shuddered, hugging herself.

In response to her action Fei-Long pulled off the blazer of his three-piece dark suit wrapped it around her shoulders.

The minister finally opened in prayer and all that were present closed their eyes and bowed their heads in silence. Once it was through, he gave a few words of comfort. That was followed by a few words spoken by Dorai's fellow detectives from Interpol.

During this discourse, Chun-Li looked among the faces of the mourners that stood opposite from where her father's casket had been placed. Within the group of faces she found Ken and Ryu's. Both had been watching her, both appeared to be caught up in the melancholy atmosphere though neither of them had known Dorai well. Ken winked at her, and then checked his watch. Ryu nodded in her direction. In response she managed to nod in return adding a smile.

Then from behind on her right side, a hand gently touched the small of her back and wrapped itself around to the front of her lower abdomen. Startled, Chun-Li took a step back to look and see who it had been.

Vega peered at her. There was a longing and forlornness in his eyes. Chun-Li hadn't spoken to him since the night of her graduation, yet there he stood. She remained unclear on what to think or feel in that moment as she stared at him.

Unspeaking, he leaned into her bringing his lips to her forehead in a kiss. His fingers gently caressed her dark hair, as he pulled back to look at her again. While listening to the words spoken by her father's colleagues and looking at Vega, tears began to resurface to her eyes again. He brought his hands away from her hair and put them down at his side. Taking a hold of her hand, he turned towards the casket which held Dorai's body.

A few feet away, as Vega stood unnoticing, Guile turned to gaze into his direction and held it for a moment. Chun-Li watched Guile's icy blue eyes take Vega in carefully; there was an odd expression over the man's face; a look of suspicion perhaps.

Chun-Li wasn't exactly sure why, but in that same moment as she watched Guile's eyes, a hard and jolting shudder ran down the back of her spine. Believing this to be an action brought on by grief Vega steadied her by bringing his hand to her back.

Guile's eyes met hers and their gazes were locked for several seconds. Chun-Li searched him with a gestured explanation. Instead Guile shut his eyes, shook his head, and averted his gaze back to the casket. The odd silent exchange between them left her puzzled.

Following the small speeches made, the minister spoke his final farewell passage and the gathering was adjourned. Upon their departure, several people stopped by her to give their final condolences before each was on their individual way. Vega remained by her side the entire time.

Before long, the crowd had dissipated leaving Chun-Li there with her friends. She approached the coffin before her and rested her hand atop the polished dark oak surface in quiet contemplation.

Since she hadn't really known anyone in New York City well enough there was no re-pass to follow Dorai's funeral.

Her friends waited quietly as she stood there.

Finally without looking up, she spoke. "You guys don't have to wait for me…"

"No honey." Julia assured. "Take as much time as you want. If you need time to yourself with your father, please… we'll understand."

"The Limo's waiting for us all." Guile said to Julia impatiently.

"It can leave without me…" Chun-Li said quietly.

"But, how will you get home?" Fei-Long asked her.

Instead of replying, she rearranged the large flower arrangement on the casket, which had been slightly battered by the wind.

"I can take her home…" She heard Vega say.

"Hey girl…" Ken spoke in that time. He embraced her from behind. "Ryu, Eliza and I are heading back to Seattle in the morning… We just wanted to see if you were gonna be alright."

"It's going to take time Ken." Ryu said to his friend.

Chun-Li turned to them both, tears now running down her face. "You guys please be careful." She told them, her voice breaking down that time into a sob. Ryu held her as she cried.

"We'll give you a call." Ken promised. "You can come visit this summer or something."

"Yeah." Ryu added simply.

Their embraced finally broke and Chun-Li managed to compose herself again. Eliza then briefly hugged her as well, before the three of them headed towards the Escalade.

Once they were gone, silence met them all again momentarily.

Guile peered over at Vega, and then met Chun-Li's eyes. "Are you sure you don't want to ride back to the church with us?"

"It's fine." Chun-Li assured.

"Did you want us as to meet back at your place?" Fei-Long offered.

Again Chun-Li declined. She noted Guile's building frustration in the matter but said nothing.

"Honey, why don't we go?" Julia said turning to him. "We can catch up with Chun-Li later. Let her have some time to herself, the poor girl has been through enough."

Guild nodded his head and reluctantly said, "Alright." Before he, Julia, and Fei-Long headed towards the street, Guile turned in Chun-Li's direction once more. "Do you mind if we call you later to see if you made it in okay?"

Paying no attention to the strangeness of his question, Chun-Li said. "That's fine, you can call me. Do you have my cell number?"

"I do."

"I'll talk to you guys later then…"

They were gone, and she stood there alone with Vega.

Again, she put her hand on the casket and said "You would have loved him Vega…"

He said nothing.

She continued. "I know you only knew him briefly, but you would have loved him. Everyone did, he was just that kind of person. Loveable…"

"He was a nice man," Vega simply said.

Tears ran again. "I don't understand it. I don't understand why my father had to be taken away from me."

"They didn't catch the guy who did it?" He asked sounding dismayed.

"No leads. Nothing, they found fingerprints on the scene but they were either too inconclusive to read or they were not found in the database, which means they belonged to someone who hadn't committed a crime."

"Unfortunate." He simply said.

"God knows who did it, and in time it will come out. I know it will… somehow." She ran her hand along the smooth polished surface of the casket. "… I just wish I could talk to him one more time. I wish I could hug him, kiss him, laugh with him, cry with him, pray with him…"

Vega was quiet.

Chun-Li turned to him to find his expression unfettered by the current circumstance. "I feel so lost right now."

Again he said nothing.

She turned towards her father's casket once more. "I love you…"

"Are you ready to go?" He finally asked from behind her.

Chun stared at the casket momentarily before obliging.

As they walked away together, she whispered to herself, "Goodbye Father…"

***

Vega pulled his Ferrari up to the curb in front of her apartment building. He put the shifter in park keeping his foot on the brake.

They had ridden the whole way in silence and this moment hadn't been any different.

Quietly Chun-Li spoke as she kept her gaze locked to the glove compartment. "Thank you for coming today and being there for me…"

"It's my humble pleasure." Vega said appreciatively. "Will you need some company for a while?"

Chun-Li looked up at her building through the window outside. "That would be fine, but you can't park here, you'll be ticketed. You'll have to park in the garage around the corner."

"Alright…"

Chun-Li opened her door and stepped out into the evening. "I'll meet you upstairs. I'm on the 16th floor in apartment 1620."

Vega nodded obliging, and as she closed the door he slowly drove the car around the corner where the entrance to the garage had been located.

By now having been thoroughly cleaned of blood, mess, damage and the yellow investigative police tape, Chun-Li came into an immaculate apartment. Upon news of her remaining in the same place, where her father had been killed, Guile and Julia both heavily protested the arrangement. Chun-Li understood their concern and where most people by now would have left to find some place new to live, she herself wanted to remain. Being there by her father's side as he made his final journey from this world to another, she felt as though a level of righteous essence had been left behind to linger with her. Believing that this was one of the many manifestations of God, Chun-Li wanted to remain behind. Oddly enough she felt at peace whenever she was there.

It would be a few minutes before Vega would meet her upstairs. Chun-Li took that time to undress from her black funeral attire and into something more casual. In her room, she removed today's clothing and placed the outfit on a hanger. She hung the outfit on the door knob, where she would wash it later. Then she pulled from her closet a knee length denim skirt and a women's polo Interpol shirt that Dorai had given her.

She unpinned her long dark hair and let it flow down her back. In the bathroom she washed her face and dried it with a small hand towel by the sink. As she headed into the living room, the doorbell rang. Bypassing the sofa, she made her way to open the front door.

With his debonair smile, Vega stood on the other side of the door. He seemed to marvel at the sight of her apartment.

"Lovely place…" He complimented warily.

Chun-Li thanked him as he made his way inside.

For a moment, upon her closing the door, they stood facing each other in silence as if finding something to say.

Vega's eyes look into hers, his mood was hopeful appearing to have brightened from earlier events.

Chun-Li offered him a seat at the leather sofa where he eagerly obliged.

"I'm sorry…" She began. "I should have warned you that there isn't really much to do here… We don't own a Television… Father never liked TV…"

Vega only stared expressionless at her.

Uneasily she continued in her explanation. "…he felt that TV could keep you further from your goals… if you got carried away in it…"

Again, there was no response.

"… If you allowed it to..." She bit down on her lower lip and fumbled her fingers nervously. "I know we probably look like some boring geeks."

Vega now kept his eyes on the contents of the apartments interiors. In a distracted and far away tone, he finally said, "No it's fine. I'm not much on television myself. You decorate quite nicely by the way." His eyes met hers with a smile.

"Oh… It's not much. Father left me to the decorating, so I chose a multi-toned theme. It's decorated with things that I collected around the world."

"Exquisite…" He simply put.

Her eyes brightened upon remembering something. "Actually, I have something from Spain in here." She stood from her place on the couch to retrieve it. Making her way to a small table in the entranceway she said. "I totally forgot I had this but I think you would appreciate it."

Chun-Li returned to her seat with a solid ceramic thirteen inch long painted figurine of a matador in the frozen active stance of bullfighting. The adjourning bull that shared the small mound of ceramic dirt stood in a frozen gallop; its long sharp horns barely prodding the red cape held in one hand by the small matador, a long sword in his other.

Curiously, Vega held the figurine in his hands, and studied its detail over with his fingers carefully.

When he said nothing, she continued. "We were vacationing in Madrid when I bought this… Do you like it?"

Vega simply smiled. "Well it's a typical item you'd find in Spain…"

Chun-Li lowered her gaze. "I know… I'll admit, I'm not too savvy in your culture…"

His smile never faltered. "I _do_ like it however. This is a well done piece… …Full of detail… I can tell you paid a lot."

"I did."

"Maybe I can show you more of my culture someday…" Affectionately he caressed her hair with his hand.

Chun-Li looked back into his eyes smiling shyly. Moments more they stared at one another.

Finally Vega spoke again, "My lady… I want to say that I marvel at your strength through this difficult time. There is just something about you that I find most alluring. Like the very enigma of you shines the essence of beauty."

Chun-Li only shrugged a bit taken by his strong use of words. "I'm just myself. This hasn't been an easy time for me lately, but I do the best that I can."

Vega took her hand in his. "Aye, but that is what adds to your beauty. There is just a naturalness about it." Leaning forward that time, he kissed her forehead lightly. When he looked back into her eyes, there came a sudden turn in his expression. He appeared bothered by something hidden in his mind and therefore looked away. Letting go of her hand, he stood and entered into the connecting open kitchen.

Chun-Li turned in his direction, saying nothing in the moment.

"Are you hungry?" He asked her.

Chun-Li protested. "Not much. I still haven't had much of an appetite…"

"You must eat." He insisted and took out his cell phone. "Do you like Mediterranean?"

"Never tried it…"

"Then you must try…" Vega dialed his phone and momentarily spoke with an inaudible voice on the opposite line, where he ordered a lamb and chicken with seasoned rice dish, along with a bottle of white wine.

Chun-Li only remained quiet. Though Vega had a rather odd approach to doing things, she appreciated him being there by her side. She didn't know him that well and it made her wonder what his intentions were towards her. They had known each other for a month and by then most men would have shown their true intentions. Those intentions were usually for sex, and Vega's interest in that particular thing hadn't been too apparent to her. Chun-Li herself had never had a sexual relationship with a man in all of her life. Her one and only relationship in its six months had respectfully never reached that stage. If Vega held those intentions Chun-Li would not have been able to fully detect it. Perhaps her naivety handicapped her.

Once placing the order, Vega hung up his phone placing it on the counter that separated the Kitchen from the Living Room. "Thirty minutes." He informed.

"I'm not very hungry…" She said.

"I understand your situation, but you should eat something."

"If you insist…" She placed her hands in her lap.

Before Vega had time to respond, Chun-Li's cell phone sounded from inside her purse. She pulled the phone from its holder and peered at the caller ID.

Engaging the phone she said. "Hey Guile."

"You made it in alright kid?" He asked, taking on a fatherly tone, perhaps where her own father was no longer present.

"Yep, I'm home."

"Good, you locked in for the night?"

"Well I have company, but yes…"

"You mean he's there?" His tone sounded disbelieving.

"Yes, were just ordering dinner." She peered up at Vega, finding that he was listening intently to their conversation.

Guile fell quiet for a few second, only letting out a sigh. "Kid, just be careful…"

"What do you mean?"

His voice was louder as it snarled that time. "Alright I'll just come out and be honest with you! I don't trust that guy. One single bit..." His words brought her back to when she first met Vega and the initial feelings her senses had invoked then.

Chun-Li looked to the ground and fell silent.

"Enough bad crap has happened since he came around you Chun-Li. I just want you to stay wary of him."

"What if you're wrong…?"

"What if I ain't?

She was quiet once more.

Guile continued. "It may not look like it Chun-Li, but I care about you and your well being. Julia and I both do. I loved your father like an older brother and now that he's gone, the only thing that's a part of him that he's left behind is you."

Chun-Li sighed. "I'm sure it's fine Guile and I understand what you're trying to tell me…"

"Yeah well… I'm just asking you to pay attention to your instincts more. If they're anything like what I'm feeling… well that's just more confirmation."

She didn't want to tell him about how she initially felt. It wasn't like those feelings had been validated. After hanging up with Guile, in an attempt to appear less obvious that Vega had been the subject of conversation she placed the phone casually on the glass coffee table in front of her.

Vega watched her momentarily from where she stood in the kitchen. In a hushed voice he asked, "Is everything alright?"

She met his eyes. An intense gaze was across his face and in the expression of his eyes.

"You look disturbed somehow…"

"I'm fine…" She said. "Guile was just calling to see how I was… it hasn't been easy for him either. He and my father were close, after working together for the past few years."

"Sounds like he's worried about you as well…"

"A little…" She was dismayed to hear that her voice was shaking.

Vega lowered his head eyes still looking at hers, his mouth formed a smirk. He appeared almost, if not, malevolent.

Chun-Li turned away from those eyes and decided to change the subject. "So how much longer do you have in the United States before you go back?"

Vega came around the counter intently and took a seat next to her again. "I was going to give it another week or so. I'm not so sure yet."

"I see…"

"What about you? What do you plan on doing now that you're finished school?"

Chun-Li only shook her head almost hopelessly. "I have no idea what I will be doing. I don't know if I am coming or going." She sighed.

"You will be fine." He said matter of factly, as if shrugging it off. His disregard for her well being and feelings was beginning to bother her. For this hadn't been the first time he had displayed such subtle callousness.

"I know… in time."

For the next few minutes they sat in silence. Whatever had transpired between them moments ago had only made the silence tense and uncomfortable for her. She was unsure if Vega was feeling the same, although now it was highly unlikely.

A little later when the food arrived, Vega paid for the meal then placed the brown paper bag of wine and Styrofoam boxed food onto the small table top in the kitchen area. Though everything had smelled delicious, her appetite had not returned.

The meal came with roasted seasoned lamb and chicken, rice, flat bread and various sides of olives, spiced onions and stuffed grape leaves that were drizzled and soaked in an oily vinaigrette dressing. Vega assembled the food in a variety on a small plate and presented it to her. Reluctantly she took the plate from him and sat at the table. Within moments time he joined her with his own plate and for minutes they ate without speaking.

The meal was nothing like she had ever had before. In any other time, Chun-Li would have found the food to be flavorful and appetizing, but not in that moment. She ate in tidbits, showing no regard or interest.

Checking the time on the mounted microwave above the stove, she learned that the clock currently read 8:15 and outside through the large open windows the sun had faded to give way to a clear night sky.

Halfway through his meal Vega stood from his chair and retrieved the wine from the bag. He checked in cabinets until he found wine glasses that were once Dorai's. "Would you like some wine?" He asked quietly.

Matching his tone she protested heavily.

"This is an imported Greek red wine. It is delicious."

"You sure know your wines." She added, not really knowing what to say.

"It was all in how I was raised, I suppose." He sat down to join her at the table once more.

"So what do your parents do?"

Vega paused looking downward. He was silent for so long that Chun-Li was on the verge of apologizing for whatever type of painful emotions she might have stirred. Expression never faltering to give way to any type of emotion, he said "they are not around." Though his words had indicated that his parents weren't around whether through abandonment, death, or any other means; his tone had also given obvious clues that he also did not want to delve further into the subject.

Getting the hint she said, "I know that feeling… My mother died when I was twelve. Now my father… I just know the feeling."

He said nothing.

After the late dinner, the two of them found themselves on the living room sofa once again. With a freshly poured glass of the Greek wine, Vega began a new topic of conversation, one that she wasn't prepared for.

"So what are you looking for in a man Chun-Li?" His gaze was intensely focused upon her.

"Wow…" She spoke in uneasiness. "I've never had anyone ask me that question before. Maybe most of all I just want someone that can accept me for me."

"Not difficult to do." He smiled as he sipped his wine. "I can tell that you don't hold much experience in the realm of relationships?"

"I've only ever been in one…" She confirmed.

"How long..?"

"About six months, what about you?"

"Nothing serious for me... A career like mine doesn't make for much room in the world of love."

"But how do you even get the women off of you?"

"Bodyguards," he jested.

They both laughed.

When Chun-Li managed to gain her composure she said to him. "So what did you see in me? I know I'm nothing special."

Vega sipped his wine, taking in her inquiry. "You have no idea how gorgeous you are both inside and out."

"That's what my father always said."

"And your father was telling the truth."

"I always thought it was just a biased statement."

His eyes gazed into hers and she was beginning to see the haze of alcohol begin to cloud in the corners of them. Just how strong was that Greek wine? Such a wine connoisseur such as Vega had an infinite tolerance for alcohol.

"No lovely, I see things in you that are special and different." He paused; a strange expression crossed his face in that moment as he tried to articulate his words. "I don't know why I'm saying this but... it's as if my faults surface themselves when I sit before you."

She couldn't help but blush, her gaze lowered modestly.

He placed his wine glass on the coffee table's surface. With his hand he lifted her chin to meet his gaze and there, his lips met hers.

This sudden gesture had surprised her more than anything else had since she had been with him. Initially she tensed but slowly gave way into the smooth kiss. His lips were soft.

Their session lasted longer than she had originally thought it would. She initiated the parting of their kiss where she could shyly say nothing to him.

"How wonderful…" He whispered, as he took a hold of both her hands gently. "Such a lovely beautiful woman…"

"Thank you… You flatter me. You really do…"

Without much indication or warning, he leaned in to kiss her once more. His nature behind this kiss showed a slight hint of aggression that time as he wrapped his arms around her frame and pressed his body against her own, in the process he slowly laid her onto her back.

Something in the back of her mind screamed for her to cease her actions, and the pit of her stomach only felt a level of dread within it. Slowly but surely, his tongue slowly inched his way into her mouth, at the same time one of his hands had started to find its way inside of her shirt. Chun-Li knew in that moment that his intentions for her had turned into a sudden and unexpected change

Vega's blonde hair fell into her face during his procession. He pressed his body fully upon her, lips and tongue no longer exploring her mouth but now her neck.

Chun-Li pushed against him with her hands in resistance. "No…" She said.

Ignoring her and perhaps in an increasingly desperate attempt to bring her to the same level of passion, he kissed more hungrily upon her neck.

"Vega, stop it! Please stop it!" She cried out louder that time.

Breathing heavily and in reluctance, he finally pulled away from her. His hair and dress shirt had been rustled from the act.

Chun-Li pulled her raised shirt down over her exposed bra and stomach as she quickly sat up. "We can't do this. Not now, not here."

Wiping his wet mouth his eyes pierced her in a strange stare. It was a stare that perhaps indicated disbelief, embarrassment, anger, and perhaps something else.

"I'm sorry." She apologized.

Vega at first nodded, looking ahead. "It is understandable." He said, though his tone hadn't matched his words. He sat up straight fixing his hair, his ruffled clothing and then taking his wine in hand he downed the glass in full.

"This was probably something that I should have discussed with you. I didn't really know up until now where your intentions were headed…"

"Naivety…" He simply chuffed; his gaze remained averted from her direction.

"If that's what you want to call it." She agreed with him. "I'm a virgin… and I plan on keeping it that way until I get married." Chun-Li even dismayed herself in the intensity and fortitude in her voice.

Brimming the empty wine glass with his bottom lip he simply said, "It's no trouble my dear. I respect your convictions and your beliefs."

"Really?" She asked half disbelieving him. Her eyebrows raised and her eyes were wide in surprise.

Vega turned smiling at her. "I really like you Chun-Li. You're a lovely young woman."

Laughing at herself, she said, "You can see why I haven't had many boyfriends."

"This indicates to me how well you were raised. It's alright." He assured, then quickly kissed her lips and stood to stretch.

Chun-Li was both surprised and dismayed by Vega more so. She learned something new and intriguing about him seemingly many times over, yet he was still able to maintain that quality and air of mystery that kept him so alluring.

As if the thought had suddenly popped into his mind, he asked. "Say, Chun-Li do you have any tea here?" Vega turned toward the kitchen.

"Tea?" She repeated.

Vega nodded. "Yes tea. Like green tea?"

Chun-Li had to think for a moment. "Hmmm, we have some oolong tea. Not green tea though..."

"That will do. You don't mind if I have a cup?"

"Not at all…. Help yourself."

Like a few of the other men she had talked to during her time spent in college, she was expecting Vega to find some level of excuse to dismiss himself after hearing the news of wanting to save herself for marriage. Most men would have either left immediately, or talk a while and then depart, upon discovering they would not be getting what they wanted. Yet he didn't. On one level this touched her; on another she wasn't quite sure how to feel.

"I'll make it…" He offered. "Would you like some?" His eyes peered into hers searching for a response.

"Sure, I'd like some. Tea is a good substance to drink when you're trying to relax."

"Oh yes you'll relax." He said then headed into the kitchen area once more. "Where can I find this tea?"

"There should be some tea bags in the small cabinet next to the refrigerator." She explained.

Immediately finding the box that contained the tea bags, Vega momentarily set them aside. He rinsed the tea kettle that remained on the stove top, and then refilled it with fresh water for heating. Once that small task was accomplished he journeyed back into the kitchen where she waited.

His eyes settled across her slowly before rejoining with her on the sofa. He was taking all of her in. "You're so beautiful…" He admonished. "So lovely…" His hands caressed the sides of her hair, smoothed her face.

If Chun-Li hadn't known any better she beginning to feel as though he were looking not at her, but only that of her outer qualities. The more he said these very words, the more she sensed and felt this way. In that split second she felt as though he could have easily been admiring the some inanimate object of value, such as a precious stone, or a piece of fine jewelry and certainly not a human being. Not wanting to indicate any trait of uneasiness she produced a smile. Noting his eyes again, and as if a new thought had struck her, Chun-Li realized just within that moment why they had stirred up so much uneasiness in her past times spent with him. For now she knew just within those seconds or realization that those beautiful eyes of his were the eyes a man that was far capable of doing much worse to her than simply showing gentleness and affection. His hands were capable of doing far worse than just caressing her skin and face. For through his eyes had shown the look of a predator. She remembered Guiles words.

_Always trust and listen to your instinct._

The feeling of dread came on fast. Chun-Li hadn't known why, or even how but somehow she knew she was in danger. These sudden thoughts were not her own and meant something. What made it worse was the fact that these thoughts may have been there all along. Quickly, just as those thoughts came in however, and as it had done before, rationale attempted to set in her mind. She would not have known his reason to bring her harm, and those questions stirred around inside of her.

Chun-Li soon began to devise plans on how to get Vega out of her safe haven. She figured she could share a cup of tea with him for a bit, talk a while, and then make up a reason on why she needed him to leave. Perhaps she could feign sleepiness, sickness, or even stir up an emotional bout of grief for her dead father. Lying and deception was never customary, but she knew she had to do something.

From the stove the tea kettle whistled impatiently. Vega stood to tend to the steaming pot by first removing it from the stove. He managed to find two ceramic coffee mugs amongst the dishwasher of clean dishes and poured the steaming hot liquid in both. Adding the tea bags to the mugs, he returned with them in his hand.

Chun-Li laid out coasters on the glass table as Vega set hers and then his cup down upon them.

"I'm surprised you drink tea." She said casually.

Influencing the tea bag he asked, "Why is that?"

"You just don't look like the type."

"I spent some time in Japan, and developed a taste for different sorts of tea. It's so good for your body because it acts as a detoxification."

"It does."

She played with the tea bag some allowing the essence of the bag to slowly melt and merge with the water. She watched as the clear color began to take on more of a coppery one. When she found the temperature of the tea to be sustainable to drink, Chun-Li did so. The hot and bitter liquid felt good against her throat. Once again his eyes took her in.

Sipping his own tea in short rhythmic slurps, he asked "Are you starting to feel better?"

Chun-Li shrugged. "In all honesty Vega I feel empty inside."

"The death of someone you love has that devastating effect."

"I know that time will heal me eventually. My life is just in total disarray and I just need to know how to pick up all the pieces and carry on."

Vega simply nodded.

She sipped on. "Whoever was responsible for my father's death has just pulled the rug of life out from under me." Tears escaped out of the corners of her eyes as she closed them.

"Have you thought of travelling?"

She nodded slowly opening her eyes again. "I do, but I have to meet with my father's attorney next week, for settlement purposes."

The silence was inevitable that time.

Vega quietly turned up his sleeve and checked the time on his Rolex watch.

Chun-Li downed more tea then said. "I hope I'm not boring you too much. No television and no…" she gestured to herself.

"You are too self conscious." He said "I am enjoying our time together talking."

They continued in their conversation for several more minutes, until it didn't take long before Chun-Li began to realize how overly relaxed she felt both physically and mentally. She hadn't known oolong tea to have such a profound influence upon her, for it had never shown such an effect before. Yet perhaps in her state of almost stifling grief, the flow of her body had not operated in its usual fashion, and perhaps maybe the tea was correcting that.

Inhibitions now lowered, along with fear and doubt now subsiding; she openly rested her head against his shoulder and said. "Oh Vega… you are a God-sent."

Vega set his tea upon the coaster of the coffee table next to her almost empty mug. She couldn't see his reaction or expression, but heard him ask. "Am I? How so?"

"Because… you've been there for me like no one else has ever been." Chun-Li wanted to cry in that moment and as she laid there leaning against him, an over powering need to sleep suddenly overcame her. Her voice suddenly felt as if it were in the effect of slow motion. "It's almost like you're… too good to be true…"

Vega re-shifted himself to where he allowed her head to lay within his lap. She peered up at him; her eyelids were like heavy weights that she so desperately tried to keep open. Only watching her, he didn't say anything immediately. A strange knowing expression was there upon his face.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion for Chun-Li in that moment and in the far back of her mind, beyond the thick fog that had obscured it, she knew something was wrong.

The last thing she saw before the darkness had completely taken over and her eyes gave way to a heavy sleep, were Vega's strange expression and disturbing words. In his tone there was a slight hint of disdain. "Oh believe me my beautiful Chun-Li; I am too good to be true…"

***

Chun-Li slowly awoke with a heavy weight bearing down. Her body felt awkwardly immobile and she wasn't able to move quite like she wanted. With her vision blurred she was unable to recognize her surroundings.

Feeling movement atop of her, she soon came to realize she was completely nude. Hands touched every intimate part of her; they violated her as did something else. An intense and painful pressure was present in the place between her legs. Chun-Li groaned half in pain and half in an almost desperate attempt to gain a better control of herself.

The violator who had been atop of her had lifted himself away from her neck where he was kissing it, and met face to face with her. Vega peered at her through glazed eyes of aroused and heated lustful passion. His sexual violation of her had been apparent now; carefully planned with the start of coming into her apartment with the purpose of slipping something into her food, drink, or perhaps even both. She now knew.

Withdrawing from his actions, he sat up completely in front of her. It was obvious by that time that he too was nude. Chun-Li became sick with horror and dread when she saw the tattoo of the snake printed across his well chiseled chest. It was blatantly clear now as to whom her father's murderer had been.

Still too drugged to speak with clarity, she only managed to whisper. "You…."

"Are you enjoying yourself?" He asked in a voice that was drawn with exhaustion. Sweat glistened on his body, and his hair appeared dampen from exertion. This indicated that he had been there upon her for a bit of time. To her utter dismay there was blood, presumably her blood, edged at the corners of his mouth, as well as his own fingers from which he tasted. "Your face, your body, the definition of your curves, the taste of your blood, what a fantastic creature you are both inside and out." The word inside had been accentuated to go in concourse with his new and current exploration of her body. "How does it feel?" He seemed to ask in sincerity, "How does it feel to know that you have been intimately graced by the most beautiful man in the entire world? You are highly blessed of God, that is why…" His hands caressed up along her bare breasts, over her arms and locked with her own hands.

Chun-Li pushed against him in an alarmed panic, however the effects of the drugs, had made her efforts futile. Certain that she could not and would not fight back Vega gently pushed his way inside of her once more to continue in his abuse and infringement. Now tired from her drug hazed exertion, there was nothing more she could do but despondently lay there.

When he so lovingly kissed her lips, light gave way to darkness once more.

***

Late that following morning, when the sun was at its highest in the sky, Chun-Li awoke again, twisted within the wrinkled covers on her bed. Sunlight poured consistently through the open blinds to fully illuminate her surroundings.

Still naked she quickly sat up in bed initially unaware of what had happened the night previous. She noted that blood had stained the bed sheets in small spots, and a fair amount more dribbled from between her legs and trailed down her inner thighs. Her body ached terribly in several places. It was almost unbearable the way she hurt.

Upon inspection of the rest of the apartment, Chun-Li found that she was alone. The rest of the apartment had been neatly arranged so that nothing had been left out of place. In the bathroom, she could see that the shower had recently been used. Chun-Li wiped away the condensation from the steamed mirror and checked her appearance. Her hair was flat and in a tangled mass on top of her head. Her face was pale, large brown eyes encircled with dark rims, and neck having been riddled with small bruises. Confused she sat on the edge of the bathtub to try and recall what had happened the night before.

She buried her father yesterday. Then, Vega joined her for dinner back at her apartment.

_Vega._

She remembered now. Vega had been with her last night. In the position she had found herself in this morning it was no doubt that there had been a sexual encounter the previous night. Judging by the blood, and by how terribly sore she had been Chun-Li knew she had been penetrated, but she also knew she would never have given consent to intercourse. Thinking more into their conversation, she had even remembered informing Vega about keeping herself until she was married. So what happened between that time and this morning?

She felt dirty and decided to shower. The water ran hot, almost too hot to bear. Rigorously she scrubbed and lathered ivory soap all over her body. Blood, sweat, and dirt rinsed away into the drain.

As she shampooed her hair, she suddenly remembered an important detail that she had almost forgotten. She remembered those hands, the violation, and most of all; she remembered the snake tattoo which coiled around his chest.

Vega must've slipped something into her tea, something that would bring on sleep so he could take full advantage of her. On top of that, she also knew without a doubt that this was the same intruder she had found in her apartment the night her father was murdered. That was one important and unforgettable detail that would always remain fresh in her mind.

Feeling betrayed especially in such a defenseless moment and time in her life, Chun-Li began to weep. She cried for herself, for being so vulnerable and naïve, she cried for the circumstance she was in. The ruthless sabotage after her guard had been let down. She also wept for Vega, because he had fooled her when she had so cared for him. She cried for her father Dorai; if she hadn't gotten so close to Vega perhaps his murder could have been avoided. Tears mixed in with the running water of the shower and the more she thought out the intricate plan played out against her and Dorai, the more everything made sense.

Vega worked for Shadowlaw, and he had been specifically planted there to woo her off her feet; his purpose was to get close to her so that he could get to Dorai. Pain absorbed her very being and she cried out to God.

"Jesus!" She shouted there from inside the shower. "Why all this? What did I do to deserve this? Why didn't I listen to the instinctual feelings that you were giving me?" In a grief stricken fit, she leaned against the water beaded wall and slid down to collapse into a tight fetal ball. Water continuously poured over her body. Resting her forehead against her opened palms her weeping persisted. Defeated, she continued to call out to God in prayer, and in response she was comforted.


	5. World Tournament

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**World Tournament**

Barcelona Spain had always been a beautiful city. For it was rich in its historic Catalonian heritage, like fine aged and expensive wine its lacquer for exquisite aesthetics would never falter, but only intensify as the years grew long.

This was Vega Fabio De Cerda's self perception. A creature highly favored by God above all others. He signified a pure epitome of what real beauty was.

He stood there on the balcony that overlooked the veranda of his impressive estate, sipping his aged wine. In the distant night he could hear the Mediterranean waves crashing to shore. It was lovely.

His mind reviewed the details of this past month's events. The viscous murder of Dorai, his beautiful Chun-Li, time with her, and the intimate moments of the mind they shared. His sincere interest in taking her for a mate should have made her feel highly grateful and privileged. Yet she rejected his proposition; and though she hadn't done it outright, Vega was able to read between the fine lines and knew it to be a subtle yet profound denunciation. She claimed to have wanted to save herself for marriage, yet he could see through this poor excuse and it infuriated him. For no woman had ever turned him down. The powerful sedative rohypnol was what had been his savior. He hadn't given her a large dosage, for he wanted her to experience the greatness that he was.

Vega figured that perhaps by now, knowing he had touched her and how invigorating such an experience was, that maybe she would find regret in turning down his original offer of seduction. Perhaps she could have just wished she had been fully conscience to find true fulfillment in him.

If only she had fathomed how great he would look with a woman of her valor upon his arm. Yet curiously there was also something within her, a certain gift of trait she had possessed that touched Vega somehow, and because of this, he knew that he needed to see her again. The desire for this notion was strong, and infatuation he had with her looks had far surpassed the mode of curiousness and into a level of something more profound; an all consuming desire. Deep down in his version of a heart and in his own way of processing his feelings, he found that he might have cared for her.

From inside, a shadow slid across the wall as someone had approached him from behind. Mrs. Botella, a servant of his estate had informed in him their native Catalonian language that his room was now prepared. Being the head maid of his estate, she had been with his family for many years, since before his birth. Now though much older, she was still beautiful in her own way, strong, and held a presence of impactful conviction and power. It was something that he could not quite explain. For this very reason, and though he did not outwardly show it, Vega had always respected her in his own subtle way.

Nodding, he thanked her dismissively

She smiled at him warily as if on cue, and then bowed her head to dismiss herself. Upon leaving, her beautiful hazel eyes met his and they flashed a glint of something he could not read. In recent years she regarded him with these same expressions, and overall kept her distance from him for reasons of her own.

Since he had been travelling the globe more consistently than ever, Vega didn't see much of his estate. In his title as a noble baron, the castle had been left to him through familial inheritance. This included the full time servants, many of which were live-in caretakers.

Mrs. Botella and her husband in particular were descendants of the lowly and highly dishonorable gypsy clan. They had watched him grow over the years from a baby into the man he now was. Vega would have liked to have thought his character was somehow shaped and molded by these very same people in an odd yet distant manner. Yet, in the entire scheme of things, this was impossible, for he knew that the blood which coursed through his veins were of a rich and noble heritage and theirs were not. Therefore it was likely impossible for him to ever stoop so low to the useless morals and standards they had followed.

Turning toward the night sky once more, he downed the remainder of his glass and kept his mind on his lovely woman.

His cell phone, which rested on the small table next to him, began to ring and buzz simultaneously stirring him from his thoughts. The caller ID indicated it to be a private call, therefore no number displayed in the small digital display window.

He answered in English. "This is Vega."

"I've got some important news to share with you." A deep gruff voice responded.

Vega recognized the voice at once to belong to the long time Muay Thai Champion of Thailand, Victor Sagat. Holding a high position within the Shadowlaw syndicate, he was responsible for many of the drug and weapon transports, worldwide. Not having much contact with the man, neither in person, nor by phone, Vega yet hadn't formed much of an opinion for the older man, other than the fact that he was ugly.

Sagat was feared and revered by many for his great size, height and strength, yet Vega held no concern for these attributes because everyone had a level of weakness, that upon discovering could be brought forth and manipulated for his own advantage. Sagat's ugliness alone had attributed a large portion of his weakness. Although currently, Vega had no reason to exploit his co-worker, yet he did still feel the need to remain on guard.

"Go on." Vega said indifferently.

"You are needed in Bangkok."

"For what purpose? I have other important things to attend to."

"Because of our huge loss brought on by the recently deceased Agent Xiang, Shadowlaw is on the verge of a massive exposure and prosecution by the world-wide agencies encompassing Interpol. Bison is beginning the process of his recruiting so that we can fight back. He is looking for skilled fighters." Sagat explained. "So then perhaps your execution of Dorai has been in vain after all."

Vega could have cared less for the welfare of Shadowlaw. He found it was better to be disconnected from the politics of it all. Getting so caught up in something of so little importance was such a waste of time, which was why he was unable to understand why people like Sagat were so wrapped up in the affairs of it all. It was like the organization had been his life.

Clearly confused he asked, "So why am I needed?" The connection of his play in the situation still appeared clouded and lacked valid reason

"You will aid us in searching out skilled fighters." His tone was impatient.

Although he would have liked to have done something else with his time, Vega knew he was under contract for his time with Shadowlaw. It was contract that not only paid a handsome salary but had he not obliged his life would have been put on the line. An organization like Shadowlaw was never worth losing his life over.

"I advise you to be there and ready to take on the most skilled of fighters." Sagat finally suggested after there had been silence over the phone.

"Tell me when and I will be there."

"One week from now, in the capital arena close to headquarters. Don't be late." The line went dead.

Vega pondered on what had been told to him. Shadowlaw was in danger of going under? He saw where situation might have played out in his favor. For he would no longer have to worry about not meeting up to an often unrealistic standard that was seemingly enforced upon him and perhaps others in the large company. He would hand it Shadowlaw however. If it hadn't been for them, his career in the bullfighting arena would have never made it this far. For they had provided him the connections he needed to show his already impressive skills to a much larger audience on a much broader scale.

***

In the weeks following the huge ordeal she had suffered, Chun-Li used a small portion of her father's inheritance money to travel. Opting out of the lease on the apartment early, she left the big city of New York and journeyed to the opposite coast of Seattle Washington to visit her friends Ken and Ryu.

Julia and Guile protested to the impending departure, in their attempt to convince her that she needed more time to recover from her loss. The couple could not have been too much older than she, yet they unofficially had assumed their role as her new parents. This obviousness had shown much in their character, when she announced that she was leaving, for their quest to have some element of control over her had been thwarted. She bore no hard feels what-so-ever, for they meant her no harm and only wanted to see that she was okay and well taken care of. However finally seeing that she would not heed to their suggestions, the two of them relented in their protest, and wished her well.

"But, where will go from here?" Julia asked.

"I think travelling will clear my head." She said

"Sooner or later you'll need to settle down." Guile suggested.

"When I find the right place, I'll settle down." She insisted

"Well you have our number, call us." They said in unison.

Aware of her arrival, Ken greeted her with open arms by providing her with her own bedroom suite in her father's grand estate. Her room was beautiful, decorated in earth tone colors of deep greens, yellows and blues.

Dalton Masters, away on business was not currently there, and according to Ken had not been there for most of the duration they had lived in the large mansion. His mother, Fujiko Masters, many times was away with her husband on trips, and had also not been there. Besides the servants, Ken and Ryu were on their own. The peace and quiet like atmosphere was just what she needed to ease the pain that had still lingered within her.

After having settled in for the evening, Ken and Ryu entered her bedroom together. Ken sat in one of the provided armchairs, while Ryu remained standing against a dresser that stood near the entrance-way.

"This is so nice of you to let me stay here." Chun-Li began. She remained there seated Indian-style on her large king-size bed.

"Stay as long as you want, Ryu has taken full advantage of that." Ken patted his friend heartily on the back. "'Besides, my parents don't care all that much. They're never here anyway. This place is practically mine"

"This is such an amazing house." She admonished. "I can't believe your parents are never here to enjoy this."

Ken shrugged. "The more for us to enjoy, right…?"

She smiled. "I suppose."

"So how have you been?" Ryu asked calmly. "It's been a little while."

Chun-Li sighed but managed a smile. "Better than I was."

"That's good" Ken said. "Your dad was so awesome."

"He was a good man." She admitted.

"Why did you leave New York?" Ryu asked her.

"I just had to get out of that place. I guess I just needed a change of scenery."

"That makes sense." Ken said looking to Ryu. "What about Guile and my girlfriend's sister?"

"They're doing fine. They didn't really want me to leave, and couldn't really force me to stay either."

"Yeah? Well what about that hot-shot bullfighter you were seeing? What-sis name?" Ken continued.

Chun-Li shook her head and closed her eyes, not even wanting to put Vega in her mind.

"Hey, are you alright?' Ryu was first to ask. His face showed a genuine concern.

She opened her eyes again finally saying, "I haven't spoken to him."

Ken and Ryu exchanged matched glances of concern. However seeming to get the hint that Vega was not going to be a topic for open discussion they didn't pry any further.

After a long and somewhat tensed silence, Ken suddenly said. "Hey I almost forgot Chun, there's a fighting tournament that's happening next week."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah," He continued. "I found the advertisement in my father's office the other week. It's for a tournament that will be held in Bangkok Thailand. The brochure indicated that only the best martial artists could attend. I think they want his company to hold a sponsor in the program."

"You don't think he'll be a sponsor do you?" Ryu asked.

"Who? My father?" Ken asked. "Like when would he have any time to get that together?"

Ryu shrugged. "It would just make it less fun, that's all."

"So what do you say then?" Ken continued. "Should we go?" He looked to her. "Chun-Li?"

"I haven't really trained in a while," She replied meekly. "But Thailand sounds fun. Nice adventure. Like old times."

"I'm up for whatever." Ryu said indifferently.

"I'll call up my agent and have her book us some flights. We'll leave tomorrow night."

Giving protest, Ryu asked. "Isn't that a little spur of the moment?"

"What else have we got to do?"

Chun-Li remained seated in a quiet contemplation. Perhaps this was what she needed; to get far away from the circumstances in her life, at least for a short while. It would be good to give way to the enjoyment of a challenge. It had been a while since she had faced someone in such a competitive combat. The moments passed on in that brief period, but in each passing count her enthusiasm for the Bangkok trip grew.

Finally she spoke. "It will be fun! Let us go!"

***

Once in Bangkok, Ken had leased a nice house on the Northwestern side of town, in an area where rich foreigners came to exhaust their funds. In the days leading up to the tournament the three of them trained non-stop; for the rental they had taken provided a nice open yet secluded yard where they could touch on skills without interference from the outside world.

Chun-Li exerted herself during those days of training, more than usual; yet something was off. She found she couldn't keep focus like she needed to. In addition she tired more quickly than usual. During a round of mild contact sparring with Ryu, she called in a time-out and went off to the side to take a drink from her water bottle.

Exhausted and sweat dripping she took a seat on the lawn.

"You alright?" Ken called over to her first.

Chun-Li shook her head. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't seem to keep it together. I can't be _that_ out of shape."

"You've been through a lot." Ryu started to explain. "Maybe…"

Knowing where he was going, she cut his words short. "No, I want to do this; I just need to concentrate better."

Although; perhaps he was right, perhaps trying to pursue something such as this was too soon. Martial arts always reminded her of her father; for it was he who had first encouraged her to get involved. _You can be anything you want to be_. He would always say.

"It's not like I can back out now anyway." She continued. Then perhaps fighting was what she needed. Maybe the rush of adrenaline in connection to the intensity of fighting a match was just what she needed to rid the pain and anger she had pent up in these last few weeks. Unlike the United States, martial arts tournaments here in Thailand were neither as regulated nor as safe. Full contact along with the blood, broken bones, broken teeth and worse were a second nature to this particular façade of fighting. The more the challenge and obstacles, the more willing she was to take part.

As she drank her water, somewhere deep in the pit of her stomach the onset of nausea suddenly came with a full force unexpectedly. Chun-Li immediately jumped up from her place in the grass and made a run towards the house. Knowing she wasn't going to make it to the house in time, her direction sharply diverted to a small bush. The contents of her stomach, along with the water she had just cooled herself down with only moments earlier, emerged with such an intensity that it caused her to lose her balance. Chun-Li dropped to her knees as she coughed up the last bit of her sickness.

Ken and Ryu made their way over to where she still sat kneeling. Chun-Li wiped her mouth and proceeded to stand. Vision slightly blurred and thinking she would faint she braced herself momentarily against Ryu's broad shoulders.

"I think that's enough for today." Ryu suggested calmly.

Chun-Li said nothing at that point as embarrassment began to creep across her face.

"Maybe you should lie down." Ken suggested. "Think it was something you ate?"

"Then we'd be sick as well." Ryu said. "We've all eaten the same meals these past few days we've been here."

Chun-Li sighed. At that point her body felt as if all the energy she had was coughed up and now lying in with the slimy heap she left on the grass.

"Could be this heat…" Ken said in attempt to come to another conclusion. He helped Chun-Li to her feet, and then offered her a towel.

"Maybe..." She said simply.

They stayed inside for the remainder of daylight, and after dinner as the sun was setting they returned outside to watch it. Though it was the same sun that they'd seen over in the United States, it appeared different, more vibrant and beautiful. Aesthetically, its quality reminded her of a painting with different accents of colors where it was deemed appropriate. Shades of oranges and yellows outlined the surface, while a more concise and solid form of pink crept towards the middle. It was such a lovely sight.

As Chun-Li leaned back to indulge in the moment she caught Ryu watching her over from where he sat. As she glanced over his eyes stayed locked onto hers, never faltering. It was a look he had never given her before; a look that searched her quietly. Their gazes locked moments more until she relented and looked away uneasily.

Chun-Li had the suspicion that he had been romantically interested in her for some time, and up until that point she wasn't quite sure. Realizing her in connection with his gaze she quickly looked down and twiddled her thumbs uneventfully.

Ken obviously unaware of what has been trying to transpire ironically said with a faraway sigh. "This would be such a romantic moment. I sure do miss Eliza."

"It is." Ryu simply obliged. She continued to feel his eyes locked upon her.

Rather than further engaging herself in such an unspoken uncomfortable situation, she promptly stood saying. "I think I'll go shower and get ready for bed." And before even giving them a chance to respond she left.

While showering, this familiar scene brought her mind back to the morning after she buried her father. It brought her back to Vega. Her feelings and emotions could not grasp a firm grip on how she felt about him, what he did, how he toyed with her. The counteracting and clashed mix of feelings left her almost numb inside.

Though he had emotionally seduced her, though he killed the only person left in the world who really loved her, and though he practically violated her in a very personal way, she still thought and wondered about him. Picturing those sharp green eyes, she wondered if his time spent with her, the flattering words he spoke really meant anything deep down. By all measures of what had transpired, it didn't look like they had. Yet, it was the way he looked at her. She remembered how he would look at her. Something within those, seemingly sharp but perhaps overall dead eyes of his would come to light.

She was sure that upon taking the assignment to kill Dorai by way of her heart had all been a too familiar role for Vega to play. His beautiful exterior was trademarked for such a role. The inklings of a psychopath to surface time and time again until the understanding turned to a realized adaptation. Only to be realized when he laid eyes on her.

_Stop it Chun-Li. _She told herself. Upon surface she was angry with herself for getting so carried away in mind over a man she should be wishing was dead. Inside she felt as though she was doing her father a dishonor in thinking this way. Underneath her feelings streamlined and through that notion of instinct and intuition the truth about her observation had prevailed. The conflicting feelings she had only left her with a deep anguish that nothing would cure, not even the warmth and relaxation of a shower's warm jet stream.

As she lay down in bed that night her body began to ache with soreness from the day's rigorous activities. It was an unusual accompaniment for her work-out, but perhaps not all too unfamiliar.

Just then a soft yet sharp knock came to the door. "Chun-Li?" She could hear Ryu's voice call. "Are you asleep?"

Not knowing what he wanted or was up to, she quickly turned over on her side and shut her eyes to give the appearance of sleep just as the door opened gently.

He called her name again.

She imagined him standing there watching her. Maybe somehow knowing her sleep was but a mere farce.

She waited, eyes shut, body still.

He sighed. "Just checking to see if you're okay." His voice was sad. "I know you've been through a lot, and I want you to understand that I'm here for you… and I want to be more to you than what I am now…." His voice faded. Then, in anger with himself he muttered something in Japanese then hurried off closing the door.

Chun-Li opened her eyes clutching the covers. Her suspicion was realized; no longer a suspicion now, but a reality.

Letting out a sigh, she knew the inconvenience it was in having someone have feelings for you and not having those same feelings in return. It was bad in a way that it strained friendships in the long term, for she could only look at him as nothing more than a friend. It was simple, though she couldn't figure out why these feelings were coming out now in such a way; unless they were coerced.

The following morning she awoke early. Her stomach rampaged with a sudden and oncoming nausea. Mindful not to wake the others, Chun-Li tiptoed through the quiet house, to the bathroom to vomit. Exhausted from the ordeal she leaned against a nearby wall and exhaled deeply.

The days leading up to the fight tournament were becoming uneventfully the same; sharp nausea, violent vomiting and a lack of energy. It was at that point that she started to realize that something wasn't right.

***

The world tournament opened on the following Saturday. Fighters from all over the globe were there to prove their skills. To prove they were the best. It reminded Chun-Li of something like a convention; registration tables and lines all around.

Chun-Li never imagined a city such as Bangkok would hold such an event dawned in formality and in an air of class. The staff there, dressed as if they were in a high-end casino, catered to those fighters wishing to enter as they were taken into a room where they were weighed and measured, ready to begin their round of fighting.

"Check this place out." Ken admonished as they walked in. "Guess we'll be fighting in style."

"If your father had received something like this in his mail, you know it would have only been something in style." Ryu said calmly. His mood appeared indifferent since the other evening; almost morose.

Chun-Li wasn't for sure if he knew about her feigned sleep the night he displayed his feelings to her. Giving the appearance that she hadn't, she tried her best to regard had him as she had previous; so as to not give in to the awkwardness. Yet somehow he must've known better. His attitude remained cool toward her, perhaps even contemplative.

They arrived at a table to register, the man on the opposite side was a tall middle aged man with a British accent and suspicious eyes. "Here's what's going to happen." He explained. "The arenas are sectioned off in this place. You will be given a number and placed into a weight class. We are conducting a series of first round fights, losers will be instantly eliminated and asked to withdraw from the tournament."

"Like any standard fight." Ken said sharply. "So what's the catch?"

"Try one million dollars American Dollars."

Both astonished and shocked, Chun-Li and Ryu simultaneously repeated "One million dollars?!"

"Right." The man confirmed. "Second place prize will win half a million and third place two hundred fifty thousand."

Ken only scoffed, for reasons only known to them in that moment. One million dollars was nothing more than pocket change to him.

"Okay so let's do this." Ken said impatiently. He handed the man the ticket that came to his house by mail.

"How many?" The staffer asked.

"Three."

Chun-Li registered under an alias name Mei Lin Chai, a college student from Malaysia. It was a common and versatile name, one that would easily run through the minds of those in the tournament. It was never customary for her to lie, but somehow leaving her true self out of the equation would be essential. At this point she wasn't sure why but it would.

In the recent weeks after her father's death, Chun-Li wasn't sure who to trust anymore. Besides her close friends, outsiders in her world equated to be an enemy in a sense. This overall conspiracy mindset she carried may have seemed ridiculous in one respect, however in another it was logical. Being who she was, the daughter of the one man who busted the case on Shadowlaw wide open, this mindset she carried had been more practical than not.

After registration she parted ways with Ken and Ryu, as she was lead into a different sector of the large arena. Due to her gender Chun-Li was first placed into a different class of female only fighters and had pondered on the justness of this arrangement. She further wondered if her class even had a shot at the one million dollars.

She had been given a time card of all of the times she was scheduled to fight along with the designated arena where it would all take place. Her first fight started in approximately half an hour.

To kill some time, she made her way into a large bathroom. Much like the arena building itself, the bathroom was very modern and up to date. The large area looked like something seen in an upscale gym, holding connecting showers stalls, changing rooms and a sauna.

Chun-Li studied herself in the mirror. If she was going to pose as someone else she needed to appear less conspicuous and less in character with who she actually was. She remained there thinking of how she would compose herself. Then, in a stance that was most uncustomary to her appearance she began to fix her hair. After sectioning it in twos, she placed each side in a bun on either side of her head. Then neglecting her usual fighting attire she deiced to dress in a blue Asian style dress she had in her belongings. The dress was far from being something to be worn in a fighting arena however given the material was unusually sturdy for standard use; it could easily have passed for it.

After putting it on she stared at herself once more in quiet contemplation. It wasn't typical, and she certainly didn't look herself. This so called disguise had worked. To top it all off, as opposed to wearing the tennis shoes she brought for the tournament, she substituted a pair of knee high boots she had brought to wear afterwards.

It was perfectly so unlike her.

She stepped outside into the crowd of fighters.

Her first seven opponents she had been placed against were literally obliterated; some in under a minute's time.

Chun-Li found that as she has trained, the force and power behind her kicks had increased greatly. Many of her opponents had been caught off guard by her kicks, meeting their demise with a concussion or another sort of damaging head injury. And because this wasn't the United States, fighting tournaments such as this one allowed for fighters to use full force and contact in the arena.

One by one each opponent was carried away on a stretcher after a go with her. In such a place as this it was important to have plenty of medical staff on stand-by to assist in the likely injuries that were to result.

Fighting these women began to lack any challenge for her. Many of their skills she found were for show and nothing more. They never trained for the heart of the matter, what was important, and that was to win and gain the honor deserved. Sadly many women had no honor in where they came from, and perhaps she knew now what made her different.

***

The regrouping was now in order. With much advertising over the past several months, the launch of the tournament had lifted and the turn-out was a wide success. Though the true nature as to why this tournament had not been brought to light, it was legitimized by the backing and endorsement of several major international corporations around the globe. Fighters from all over the world jumped at the opportunity to show their skills in the arena.

M. Bison leader of the Shadowlaw organization sat before a large array of televisions screens. Each held camera's eye into each and every arena during a fight time. He had not been the only one to be monitoring progress however it was always good to keep an eye his operation.

With all creases and holes sealed he and his much trusted staff made sure all appeared in the up and up in the eyes of the law. Since the untimely death of their much beloved Dorai Xiang, Interpol was on a much more in depth watch of anything suspicious going on. And after the large bust at the pier in New York it was getting harder and harder to discern who had truly been loyal to this organization.

Much work had to be done to ensure this regrouping would take effect. The doubt of uncertainty was not an option because there would indeed be prevail. Only the strongest fighters would be chosen and gathered. Whether by their choice or by force, they would serve him. There was no other way. On larger ideal scale, under a much larger picture the chosen few would be then cloned, their traits easily manipulated in genetic splicing for the creation of an invincible army.

They said he could never do it, but just wait.

Out of the many fighters he had watched, two young men of interest had already caught his eye; one being of Japanese descent, and another of American. Both of whom fought in similar styles, and both of whom had no trouble winning their battles. He had already taken measures in trying to locate more information about them, and so far in his quick research, found that they had known each other quite well; so well that they had even studied in the same dojo growing up. They were, Ken Masters and Ryu Hoshi.

Now there was another that had caught his interest that time. It came over from the monitor from the arena numbered seventeen. A young woman of whom he had never seen before displayed herself worthy on the screen.

He focused the camera in to take a closer look. She was graceful, agile, powerful, and strong, yet alluring and beautiful all in the same token. He watched as by the second, her martial arts skills proved exceptional. Each opponent she took on was finished for in a matter of seconds in some cases.

Bison watched as over time this girl was moved up to face fighters that had already proved to be much stronger and even then she took no devastating blows. Both men and women alike fell into damage in dealing with her.

When he felt he had seen enough he dialed the front desk from downstairs where a man promptly picked up the other line.

"I need to know the fighter in arena seventeen." He demanded sharply.

"Yes sir, we were just about to bring her to your attention." The man said in a much more conspicuous tone. "Her name is Mei Lin Chai. She is a college student from Malaysia."

"That's all the information you have?" He was already growing impatient.

"Well sir, we wanted to be discrete as possible, by first letting her move up and then requesting more information from her." The man replied. Perhaps in a sense he felt lucky that he had only been on the other side of the phone line rather than across the way in person.

As his impatience grew, so did his flare of the uncontained power he had possessed from within. In the anger it grew. "We don't have time for that." He snarled that time. "Send one of our best out there to fight her. Tell them I want her wounded and not killed, only wounded!"

"Yes sir," Came a quick obliging on the other line.

Having already compiled his own initial team of powerful fighters, their skills, along with the added technical manipulation of thought, emotion, and memory control, Bison may have founded the perfect human killing machines. Having this girl could come up against one of them and win would only prove just how worthy she had truly been.

***

Chun-Li finished her fight in yet another success, and after all of the victories she had achieved thus far she was beginning to believe there was nothing to it. Maybe the large cash prizes that were promised were not impossible.

The past several hours proved to be a series of events that were much in her favor. To her amazement, although perhaps not really, she was able to defeat not only the original class the she was placed against, but the classes above hers in addition. Defeated fighters had the option of either disqualification or the chance to be placed in a much lower ranking for merely statistical purposes. Later she would find that many left chose to leave on the spot, either too wounded physically or too hurt in their ego to have the dissatisfaction of their humiliation added to some irrelevant statistic. However some remained, curious to see the winning turn-out.

Taking a towel that was provided she wiped the sweat from her face while making her way out into a common area. Outside her friends waited for her. Both seemed satisfied with their own fighting performances thus far.

"You get'em kiddo?" Ken asked her. She could tell that his ego had been soaring on cloud nine that moment. Ryu on the other hand remained to himself.

"I'm holding my own." She replied, careful not to get too far ahead of herself. "Not really sure what is next, how about you guys?"

"Flawless victories," Ryu replied, "for both of us."

"Great."

She was pleased to have been able to take a moment to unwind. In a wet bar close by, water bottles were provided. The three of them congregated in the sitting area to find what would happen next.

"You feeling better from the other day, I take it?" Ken asked her as he sipped his water.

"Much better," she obliged. Although this hadn't been telling them the entire truth she certainly had been much better than she originally felt. The nausea had remained although no so much now than it had earlier in the day. Where she hadn't been moving around as much as she had done when her father was around, perhaps the adjustment of picking up in her travels again had taken a toll on her body.

Several minutes into their down time, as they talked and drank, a rather large and hulking man approached their table. Chun-Li would have mistaken him for a participant in this tournament if it had been for the three piece suit he wore in an attempt to try and appear professional. Muscles rippled from beneath his clothing. He was bald, complexion holding a reddish undertone. To further suggest just how tough he had been a large scar resembling a burst-like mass sat just above his left eye which had been covered in a black leather patch. To small children, he could have been quite frightening.

At first upon his approach, Chun-Li expected the object of his mission to be upon either Ken or Ryu. However his one good eye took focus upon her as he approached them.

"Mei-Lin I presume?" The tall man asked her. His voice was deep and in an accent that was concurrent with the Bangkok area. He was a native.

Ryu and Ken eyed her in question. She guessed why they appeared so confused. "Later," Chun-Li explained, careful not to give too much away.

They nodded as Chun-Li got up and stood from the table. She faced him and didn't realize just how much he towered over her until she actually stood. He just had to be well over seven feet.

"My name is Victor Sagat." He said. She shook his massive hand as he continued. "I am the director of this tournament and it seems though you have proven to be quite successful in your participation."

"Thanks," she said almost shyly. "I've worked hard."

"To qualify for getting into the top and final tear, it has been requested that the dynamics of your fight should be changed just a bit."

"The dynamics of the fight?" Ken asked, repeating what was said. "What dynamics?"

Sagat turned and looked to the two young men seated at the table. His expression changed as though he may have seemingly recognized them. "I mean her next fight will be showcased to the public." He explained, his eyes never faltering from the two. "Once we have this match in order the two of you will also try your hands in a match similar."

"Bring it on!" Ken simply said.

"Excellent." Turning to Chun-Li he asked, "so how about it young lady?"

All eyes were on her. She wanted to hesitate, but found herself agreeing to go along with the match. But something just didn't feel right about the whole transaction.

"I myself personally will get you registered for this fight. Please remain here until you are called." Sagat explained.

Chun-Li thanked him and after he left, Ken eyed her and said, "Mei-Lin? Who the heck is that? And why are you dressed like that anyway? You look like the Chinese version of little orphan Annie."

"It's my last minute disguise. I just feel like I have to be extra cautious, especially with everything that's happened with my father."

"Just don't get too carried away in your paranoia. What's the worst that could happen?"

Approximately ten minutes after their encounter with Victor Sagat, the three of them stood as they heard his voice sound through-out the massive structured building over an intercom system. "Ladies and Gentleman may I have your attention please. The evening's main fighting event is about to begin. Please make your way into the center's main hall for seating. Again, our main event is about to begin; please collect all of your personal belongings and make your way into main hall." The message was then repeated in Thai and then once more in Mandarin Chinese.

Chun-Li watched as people began making their way towards the direction of the main hall. She had noticed that many participants were not even fighters but bystanders in to see the action. Some were there to gamble, others were then to simply watch.

"What ever happened to a fighting tournament?" Ken was confused, "I didn't think this would've turn into an ESPN event." He looked to Chun-Li "You must've been something else in that fighting arena." He said.

Something suddenly didn't feel right. What was the whole entire purpose of her being showcased anyway? Before she could come up with an escape plan, Victor Sagat approached them once more. "Follow me." He said and then turned to Ken and Ryu. "There are two seats reserved for you in the front row, please make your way inside while Miss Mei-Lin is escorted in."

Ken nodded then turned to pat her shoulder. "Give them hell girl; we'll be rooting for you!"

"Good luck." Ryu said with a small smile.

They left and she was alone with Sagat; vulnerably alone.

"Ever heard of cage fighting?" He asked as they walked.

Hurrying to keep close behind his long strides, she replied "I have but I'm not familiar with it."

"There is no real style behind it. You simply must know how to manipulate the cage, so that you may manipulate your enemy."

"So the fight wouldn't be just centered on the floor then?" She asked.

"Not entirely. Cage fighting has a sort of a vulgar and an animalistic quality to it, however that is more for the shock factor of the audience. It's what sells. A skilled fighter like yourself should have nothing to worry about."

"So this is a cage fighting match."

"Correct, and the whole purpose of cage fighting his to mainly ensure one thing."

"What's that?" She asked.

"No escape."

***

Chun-Li was lead through a large pair of double doors that went underneath of the arena. She walked through a corridor and was lead to a hidden entry that brought her out onto the center of the fighting arena. The crowd which had already been seated and ready for the action cheered as she emerged. To her dismay she found she was alone, for no opponent was there to initially challenge her.

She waited momentarily. Her thudding heart beating around her chest seemed almost audible.

The lights brightened and the crowd's cheers grew increasingly stronger.

Over the audio system a man's voice with an air-personality quality introduced her under her false pseudo name first. She hadn't realized how big an event this whole ordeal had been up until that point. And from fear of the unknown she began to doubt.

Ken cheered for her from the crowd, and when she looked over to him, he slid the side of his hand across his throat in a motion similar to a throat cut. That was his cue for her to annihilate whomever she was to face off in the ring. Ryu gave thumbs up. This made her feel a bit uplifted and she smiled.

"Ladies and gentleman, let's hear it for our all time champion, our very own iron claw!"

She never expected there to be such uproar over one person. The crowd seemed to swell with excitement as he emerged.

Chun-Li peered out at the opposite entrance of the fighting ring with a quiet curiosity. In her mind she imagined some hulking and grotesque figure of a man, much like that of Victor Sagat to come out before her. Matter of factly she would have been less surprised if it had been Sagat stepping out there than who had actually emerged.

If it hadn't have been for the fact that her heart was sustained and assembled by a series arteries in her chest cavity it probably would have came to a sinking crash in the pit of her stomach. Her lip trembled suddenly and her knees began to feel weak.

Stepping into the ring was none other than Vega himself. Though his long hair had been tied back and his face concealed by a mask, she was able to recognize him. He stood there shirtless; the serpent encircling his torso was ever prominent under the bright spot lights.

Not noticing her at first, he faced the crowd responding to their cheers in a bow at the hip. For very obvious reasons some women, many of whom were native Thai, clamored to the front to get a better look at him. All at once in unison they began to chant, "Mask off! Mask off! Mask off!"

Feeding off of the energy they provided him, Vega pulled the mask away from his beautiful face and the crowd went insane. Women pushed their way through to try and get as close as they could. Some braved approaching him face to face in the arena but were stopped by security. Some even fainted. Were they serious?

Chun-Li stood there appalled by the sight and mayhem of it all. Were they actually serious? Only if they had known just who this man was and what he had put her through, how would they react then? With just the thought of it all, a bitter and seething anger began to creep within her.

Her father had always taught her to leave anger as a motive out of the ring, for it would distort the clarity and precision that should come with any skilled fighter.

Ken and Ryu looked just as dumbfounded and surprised as she was. Ken stared at her, questioning her in a gestured manner. In response she only shrugged. They hadn't known the entirety of what had been done. No one did.

Vega finally turned to face her as he would any opponent. His eyes showed initial surprise as one might have in such case. They then searched her, quietly, contemplatively. Again there was that look she remembered he had always given her; it was a look she couldn't quite describe. Perhaps it was a look of longing. Then as though remembering all that transpired between them, he looked to the ground. At first she thought that this action was brought on by an element of shame, however a small smirk crept across his face as his eyes met her once more.

All Chun-Li could do in that moment was stare. Since the ordeal that transpired several weeks ago, she had always wondered and pictured what it would have been like to face him again. She wondered what she would have said or done. She had imagined saying and doing many things, yet here she stood, in the position she only ever imagined being in.

She bit down on her lip, and tears pooled in her eyes. The last thing she wanted him to do was see her cry, but in that moment she unable to keep control. Finally finding words in this difficult moment she allowed her own eyes to melt into his.

Shaking her head Chun-Li simply asked, "Why?"

His expression never faltered, and his taunting smirk remained. In that moment she had an idea as to the type of person she was dealing with. Instead of answering her question he met her eyes again in a glare, and then muttered, "Let's get this over with."

Chun-Li took a step back, and readied herself in a fighting stance.

While sizing her up his smirk had returned. "Mei-Lin, I wasn't aware you were a martial artist." His tone was patronizing and somewhat pretentious. Other than bulls, she too had not been aware of Vega's additional hobby for fighting people

Chun-Li knew that feeding into whatever game he was trying to play would only set her off balance. In her mind she asked herself for the focus and fortitude that she needed to defeat him.

Just then the announcer spoke over the intercom. "Fighters take you mark!"

Vega slid the mask over his face once more saying, "let me see what you have my beautiful." He took a step back away from her and tightened the claw which was strapped to his hand. This was presumably the same device that killed Dorai.

Suddenly a loud sound echoed from above, giving off the loud creak of something heavy coming unhinged. Just as she looked up, an iron cage like setting fell upon the perimeter of the fighting ring enclosing them in.

This was what Victor Sagat had referred to upon his mention of cage fighting; and she was trapped.

As the clock counted down to the final showdown, his green eyes pierced her through the eye holes of the mask and they held one another in an intense stare. It was a game of whit. Chun-Li knew in this moment that all emotions needed to be laid aside so as to not get in the way of what her true accomplishment had been.

"Fight!" The announcer called.

Vega began to move in semi-circular motions so as to try and confuse her as to which direction he was going yet Chun-Li kept her ground firmly. Arms drawn up at her sides and fists clenched, she readied herself for her opponent.

He was quick, as ducked down his clawed hand extended towards her midsection in an attempted to strike. Chun-Li blocked successfully with the side of her forearm, her skin meeting the blade to creating a wound from the impact. With no time to react from the pain that had been inflicted, she kneed him forcefully under the jaw.

Vega cried out in a sound that was of both surprise and pain. The impact caused him to lose his balance and as he stumbled backward she kicked him in the chest, the sole of her boot meeting the tattooed serpent's head. He collapsed to the floor instantly.

Chun-Li stepped back away briefly to check her forearm. Blood flowed freely from the wound, yet now as the adrenaline rushed she no longer felt pain.

From the crowd she heard several cheer, some booed, and Ken, who seemed loudest of all cried out. "Yeah! She's awesome! She's so awesome! That's my friend out there! Bet on her it's not too late, you'll win a fortune!"

Although she hadn't felt comfortable with being the subject of a bet, Chun-Li did find comfort in knowing that God was with her and whatever happened was meant to be. For she had come to peace with that notion not too long before this tournament even began.

Vega came to his feet as he adjusted the claw strapped to his hand and the mask over his face. "Perhaps that was my mistake…" he said calmly "my mistake in underestimating the 4.0 graduate with the masters degree from Columbia University. Pardon me. My mistake has just ultimately become your own…"

"You killed my father!" Chun-Li muttered. "And you used me to get to him…"

An empty and humorless laugh escaped from behind the mask. "So… you know…" He admitted perhaps mainly to himself.

"I know about everything now." Chun-Li continued. "The drug you slipped me. After I trusted you… After I…" Her words faded as she felt the tears began to come on again; after she had cared, after her feelings had started to grow for him. That was what she wanted to say but couldn't. Vega didn't need the benefit of knowing how she felt. Not now, not after he'd completely destroyed her life.

"Hey!" She heard someone shout from beyond the regions of the cage.

Both of them turned to see Victor Sagat standing there, he was impatiently angry. "I'm not running this show to see you stand around and talk to each other. I want to see action! So FIGHT!"

Chun-Li began to ready herself. Emotions were now on the surface and her focus was not where it needed to be. Without much time to react, Vega lunged at her in a jump kick. His hard shoe met her effortless attempt to block, and instead her exposed chest and neck were hit. With this pain came the sensation that she had been choked, however the impact and force behind it had been much greater than anticipated. As she began to fall backwards, his right arm came around in a thrusting motion. Three blades slashed the front of her dress tearing both fabric and skin deeply. Caught once more in the shock of being cut in such a terrible manner, Chun-Li wasn't expecting this third strike. Again his claw came forward; the tips of the blades cut and penetrated the flesh in her upper abdomen in a deep and forceful motion.

"Chun-Li fight!!" She heard Ken call out. There was desperation in his voice as she knew he could do nothing to help the situation.

Taking a quick step back and bringing her leg high above her head to meet his six foot stature; her foot struck the side of his head forcefully. Stunned, Vega dropped to his hands and knees and once again he was kicked in the chin. There he fell forward to the ground.

The crowd cheered from around her.

Obviously dazed from the blows, Vega attempted regain some type of control over himself. Chun-Li, taking advantage of the situation, forcefully kicked his masked face as he tried to stand. The power of the blow sent him backward to the floor.

Easily influenced, the cheers from the crowd began to heighten on her behalf.

Vega laid there. His arms were stretched out on either side. Chun-Li approached him slowly where he lay.

"So let's make this fair." She suggested. Her calm tone matched the one he had used with her earlier. "I came into this ring without a weapon," with her boot she stomped on the wrist that held his claw. Vega yelled in pain. "So if I have no weapon, you shouldn't either." She knelt down and wrenched the blood stained claw from his hand and threw it where it was out of reach from the ring.

With all of the adrenaline coursing through her, Chun-Li hadn't felt the effects of the wound in her stomach up until that point. Her body began to feel weak, and the lack of energy was starting to catch up with her. She dared to look down at the damage inflicted upon her. When she did that time however, she realized the entire front of her dress, from the waist down had been soaked in her own blood.

"Chun-Li look-out!!!" Ryu yelled that time.

She looked up just in time to see Vega's fist meet her face. The blow was powerful and full of spite. She took a step back to execute a counter attack, and for the next few moments the two of them exchanged blows and counter-blows laced with defensive blocking and a technique each familiar to their own style. Each hit received only weakened her, but she knew her mind she had to stay focused.

Vega stepped back some to regard him. "A worthy opponent you are my beautiful Chun-Li. The blood you shed is beautiful but you cannot stay like this forever." He taunted menacingly. "Far more challenging than your father, you have far surpassed anything he could ever be."

His words were a compliment yet a cutting insult all in one, and it angered her greatly. Her father had been everything she had ever wanted to be, it was never the other way around.

Something rose up within her and Chun-Li screamed a cry of frustration. Her actions startled him some and she was able to catch him off guard with a sharp flying sidekick to the face. Unable to block in time he slammed into the iron bars of the cage. She kicked him in a series of high and medium kicks to the face and ribs, again and again and again.

With the force of her blows, the mask he wore crumbled away from his face and the crowd went wild, especially Ryu and Ken.

She heard one if not more of his ribs crack against her assault, yet she could not relent.

Receiving the abuse of her forceful kicks, Vega cried out. "M-my face, don't hit my beautiful face!" His pleading only caused her to do more damage until finally his body fell unconscious before her. His face was now a bloody mess, blood vessels broken in his one eyes as tears of blood ran down his cheek. His nose streamed more blood and his lip was now busted. He laid there at her feet, his breathing had slowed.

From around her the crowd began to chant, "Mei-Lin, Mei-Lin, Mei-Lin" Any other time these words would have pleased her but as the adrenaline rush began to dissipate she began to feel the effects of the stab wounds that Vega had inflicted upon her. The pain was unbearable.

In the distance the bell sounded. "That's the fight! The winner is Mei-Lin!"

The crowd rampaged in their cheers.

The iron cage slowly descended above her head. Ryu and Ken ran towards her excitedly. While making her way over to them, she clutched her abdomen in pain, however before she could reach them, darkness rose up from the corners of her vision. All the while her legs gave way from under and she collapsed to the floor.


	6. The News of Entanglement

**CHAPTER FIVE**

**The News of Entanglement**

**I**t was impressive. Everything around had been so vivaciously full of life; the grass was green and lush, the wild flowers in full bloom, the sky was clear and bright and the sun, appearing in mid-day was shining down upon the landscape. In the distance began a chain of mountains, with a dusting of snow capped at the tops.

The scenery that Chun-Li found herself reminded her of something out of a photo landscape or even a fairy tale. Although it wasn't understood why she had been where she was, there was a feeling that this all meant something; something important.

In the distance the sound of water tricked beyond the tall grassy meadow in which she walked. Following the sound, she made her way through a small clearing of trees and just beyond the brush laid a river.

Only being about twenty to twenty-five feet wide, this river held something beautiful. Its clear water was of an essence that seemingly held an abundance of life. The flow made its way down stream in such an even and intricate pattern.

Not remembering much of what had transpired prior, Chun-Li began to wonder if she was dead.

From behind her a familiar voice spoke, "_Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it._ Isn't that what Jesus spoke in the book of Matthew?"

Chun-Li turned to find her father standing there before her. He smiled at her, his eyes only regarded her with the love that he had felt for her in life. "Father it's you!" She cried out. Her heart leaped with surprise and joy all in one and she ran to embrace him.

Dorai held her, then pulled back to look her in the eye. "Isn't that what he said?" He asked, following up from his first question.

Chun-Li only nodded. "I believe so; I'm not so savvy in the book like you were." She replied.

Dorai smiled at her. He seemed to beam with energy of a different sort. It was a power that almost made him unrecognizable in her eyes, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. He regarded the river beside them saying, "Take this river. It flows toward a purpose. Its path is straight and narrow which ultimately leads to an everlasting life. This water that flows on that path is our living water. The virtue of God which sustains us through our journey called life."

Chun-Li found she was unable to speak, but only nodded in compliance to his words.

"This is the path you need to stick to. Not just you, but your children to follow you and those around you, your friends."

She again nodded.

"Don't harbor hate in your heart, for it will consume and ultimately destroy you. Don't feel this way for this is not what God wants for your life."

Chun-Li shook her head realizing now the reality in which she was in, yet somehow she was here. She found her eyes swelling with tears, something that had happened more often than not. "But they killed you! They left me alone, I have no one."

Dorai smiled and simply said, "Forgive." The very last word he had also spoken to her in his dying breath.

"It's so hard and I miss you so much."

"Please understand that it was my time. Please forgive. Forgive him, forgive them all. This is what is truly right."

"I suppose I can't take my own revenge on them can I?" she semi-joked.

He nodded, then again he said "Forgive." It had been the last thing she saw before the scenery had changed over. Her eyes began to come in focus as voices were heard fading in from the background.

"She's waking up! Chun-Li! Hey! Ryu go get the doctor!"

"Wait a little while, it takes time. Give her some room." Ryu said. His voice was calm and less frantic.

"Well if you don't do it I will." Ken said. He was heard hurrying off.

Her eyes focused slowly to accommodate the light in the room. A shadowy form which hovered over her slowly came into view. As light proceeded into her vision once more she realized Ryu had been watching her.

"You gave us a scare." He said smiling. "How are you?"

With her eyes focused completely now, Chun-Li looked around to find she was the hospital. In the moment her body was stiff and sore, not readily knowing the details of recent events, she responded to Ryu's question with another. "What happened?"

Ryu took a seat in a chair that was next to her bed. She noted his left arm was in a sling and one of his eyes had been darkened by a bruise just above the cheek bone. "You don't remember the tournament? Your fight?"

Chun-Li stared at him. She remembered the fight she had against Vega. The wounds she had received as a result of their brawl. "Yes, I do now…"

"You did great out there."

"And you?" she asked him, regarding the black eye and braced arm. "What happened to you?"

"After your fight, they put me up against that Victor Sagat we met beforehand…" He chuffed without humor, perhaps in the irony of it all.

"And? How did you do?"

"It wasn't an easy victory, but I managed. It could have been worse." He was so modest in the way he composed himself in such respect. Chun-Li had often wondered why everyone couldn't be that way.

Ken emerged through the doorway of the hospital room quickly. Following closely behind came an older middle aged gentleman, presumably the doctor, of an Indian or perhaps Pakistani heritage. His features were soft, yet his eyes had a profound focus to them, yet when he looked at her she saw kindness.

"Here she is doctor, see she's awake!"

Examining her carefully, the doctor said. "Miss Chai?" Initially confused Chun-Li had almost forgotten about her use of the false name she had created for herself.

"Yes." She spoke.

"How are you feeling?"

"Sore." Chun-Li replied.

Before the doctor had a chance to go on, Ken stepped in with" Man! You were a hit out there girl! So awesome! You torched that guy!"

Following his statement, came an uncomfortable pause as everyone in the room stared at Ken warily.

"What?" Ken asked. "Just wanted to say she was awesome."

"Are you finished?" the Doctor asked. Ken stared back quietly lost for words. Turning to Chun-Li once more he said, "I'm doctor Sarathy." His accent was thick, almost difficult to comprehend. "Now that you're awake, I want to talk to you about your condition."

Ryu arose from his chair at once to head for the door. "Come on Ken, let's give her some privacy."

Ken looked back at Chun-Li reassuringly. "That okay? We'll be back."

"Thanks guys."

When they were gone, Dr. Sarathy said, "nice friends you have there."

"They really are. I couldn't ask for better." Then realizing her entire sense of time had been throw off she asked, "How long have I been out?"

"Since yesterday afternoon," he explained. "When you came to us you were unconscious."

"I remember now." Chun-Li admonished. "I was in so much pain, and I felt so weak."

He checked her vitals, and continued into his prognosis. "The stab wounds you sustained in this fight were not as life threatening as I first thought." He lifted her hospital gown slowly to reveal a series of bandages and medical tape which covered almost the entirely of her torso. "We were able to stop the bleeding just in time. If it had been just a short time later you would have bled to death with no question."

In her mind she thanked God for even that small piece of information because she knew without a doubt that it certainly could have been much worse.

"You also had some deep surface cuts across the top that needed additional stitching," he continued on, but overall it looks like everything will be alright with you in long-term." He smiled at her.

"Glad to hear that the news is good."

While Dr. Sarathy entered information into a small electronic computer that he held in his hand he replied, "I'm not finished."

"You're not?"

"Well I have to tell you Miss Chai. We ran some additional tests on you while we had you under in surgery."

"What is it?" She was beginning to fear it was something serious.

"Well let me ask you first, have you been experiencing any weakness recently?"

"You mean from this fight?"

"I mean in the past few days, weeks, whatever."

"I've been feeling a bit weak while training, yes." She added nodding.

"Nausea, vomiting?"

"Yes!"

"Well we found that you are approximately, give or take, six weeks pregnant."

This wasn't happening. Surely this could not have been what was wrong with her. As she let the news resonate within her like a slow poison Chun-Li was lost for words. It wasn't the right time, the right situation, or with the right man. The picture perfect image of the picture perfect husband and family that she had envisioned of one day having instantly shattered, in addition to her other hopes and dreams.

"Congratulations." He added trying to find a point of response to his news in her expression.

She could only shake her head and close her eyes quietly. A million thoughts ran through her mind in that moment. So much so that it drew a complete blank. A tense silence fell within the room.

Convinced that there would be nothing more to be said, Dr. Sarathy spoke again in an uneasy tone. "Despite all of the abuse your body has taken, the embryo is surprisingly doing well."

The news only crushed her. It sent a weight of despair with inside of her.

"I would like to keep you just a few more days, so that you are healed enough to leave. For obvious reasons you need to take it easy now Miss Chai."

Finding the words, Chun-Li managed to say a small and dismissive "thank you." Her eyes never opened to even regard him.

When he was gone, Chun-Li remained there alone with her thoughts. She was even too devastated and upset with this news to even cry this time. So much was flowing through the mind, on what would happen next. What would she do? Where would she go? What would even happen next? How would people look at her?

She thought of Vega and how she was just at the point of starting to let him go. The fight they had provided enough closure that was needed to know that she hated him. She never thought she could hate another human being, the way she hated him in all of her life. Now the child growing inside of her was a part of him. Something to only complicate a situation that she only wanted to put behind her. The situation, as ironic as it was, infuriated her.

Ken and Ryu returned to her room not too long after Dr. Sarathy's departure.

"So what's the deal?" Ken asked.

Chun-Li sighed. They couldn't know. Not now. This was all too much to process to begin with. "I'm just stitched up, looking like the some weird science experiment." She was trying sound funny and make light of the situation, although somehow Ryu saw past that.

"What's wrong?" He asked her. "What is it?"

When she saw the genuine concern he had she wanted to cry right there and let it all out. Somehow she held back the tears and managed to shake her head. "It's nothing I'm fine, just in pain."

He nodded although she saw in his eyes that he wasn't quite convinced by her response.

"Did I tell you how awesome you were yesterday?" Ken asked.

"Several times." Ryu spoke.

She managed a smile.

"What on earth was he doing out there anyway? What was his name again? I don't even remember." Ken admonished.

"Vega." Ryu responded.

"Yeah! He was fast, and brutal." Ken said.

"But Chun-Li was faster and more brutal." Ryu complimented, "although judging by the way he was looking at you, I'd say he was a bit distracted by you Chun-Li. I could sense that he didn't give his one hundred percent. If he had fought like that all the time, then there's no way could have been a reigning cage fighting champion!"

"True," Ken added. "He looked like he was still pretty hung up on her. Wow, I had no idea a guy like that fought for sport. Shows how much you know someone."

"Tell me about it." Chun-Li said blankly.

Ken raised an eyebrow. "Huh? So what did he do to make you unleash such fury like that? I've never seen you act like that before."

Staring straight ahead she said, "we just had some differing opinions that all." Her words spoke one thing but her face showed another.

Deciding not to prod deeper, they decided to change the subject.

***

The dream was terrible, but he couldn't recall when they had ever been good. He didn't dream often but when he had, it only brought a relentless line of sheer terror. This one in particular, had been especially bad. Vision distorted, it had appeared as if his attacker, an unknown, sightless as well as faceless being was the outline of a distantly familiar shadow that moved in an awkward slow motion. Yet oddly at the same time this thing tore away at him in an act of ravaged spite, at a speed he was unable to measure or follow. The pain was immense for it was constant, vile, and never ceasing. It was as if his body would not give out and he lay there, unable to move, unable to cry out, to fight back. This thing tore away at him with razor teeth; a sickening sound of his own flesh tearing away from his bones was heard. The last thing he saw was the set of sharp jagged teeth coming toward his face at rapid speed.

Vega sat up in bed with a sharp jolt; his brow covered in a cold and damp sweat. Still within the lingering effects of his dream, he frantically brushed his face in attempt to brush away the horrible phantom that plagued him.

Realizing he was no longer in a state of active torture, he let out an oppressed sigh. His surroundings were much more quiet and peaceful and the pain he now felt was no longer caused by torn flesh, but by the active broken ribs he had suffered in the fight he had the other day. The jolt must've irritated them.

Turning slightly, mindful not to further the damage, he turned to check the clock on the wall. It was 1:30 am.

The realness of the dream was what had disturbed him most; the paralysis, the loss of speech, the pain, his own blood, and the fear he felt. Wide awake now, he laid back down in the hospital bed he was placed in. The only things to keep him company now were his thoughts.

Like he had many times in recent months, he thought about her. Besides being beautiful she now had another trait which he could add to define why he found her so alluring. She was strong, not only in body but also in mind. This new found respect that he had for his Chun-Li had overridden the hatred he should have felt for her. In one aspect he was angry for she had marked his beautiful face out of a sheer target of spite. It was anger that could have easily turned into pure concentrated hatred; hatred that with any other person, it would have caused him to kill. On the other hand he could now truly admit to himself that he absolutely adored her and maybe even loved her. Whatever that meant, love was such a scary emotion. One he couldn't understand a fear of the unknown. But then again who could understand love? The twisted gaps of strong uncontrolled emotions brought a discomfort to his persona. He loved himself too much to do something so foolish. For on the thin coat of the surface he loved himself with all to be desired, yet self-loathing was a devastating disease, only waiting to break through under the surface. This wasn't even a phased and passing thought however, for he would never stoop to something so debilitating.

It was known for a fact that a woman like her, a strong, beautiful woman by his side, on his arm would only enhance the sheer essence of beauty that he had already portrayed to the world. This notion only convinced him more and more that he needed her. The very fibers of him just needed her.

Interrupting him from his thoughts, there were the sounds of voices from the connecting room just beyond his door. Light suddenly spilled through his dark hospital room, for just beyond the doorway was a small laboratory. The entirety of it, including the hospital, was all owned by Shadowlaw. Like him, many of the injured fighters from the tournament had been treated here for probable purposes of keeping their suspicious activity under wraps.

Due to his affiliation with Shadowlaw, he was given a private room away from the other casualties in the entire ward.

After listening a while, Vega was able to discern the voices of two men, both of whom he recognized. The first voice belonged to that of M. Bison himself, the other to a Dr. Sarathy, the doctor who had cared for his own injuries. What could they have been doing at 1:30 in the morning?

"How are things coming along?" Bison asked him. His voice sounded suave with a slight edge of aggression. It would not have taken much to retort his tone into something more frightening.

"Everything is in working order." The doctor said. His Hindu accent was riddled with a nervous hesitation.

"What about those fighters I've picked for observation? I need an update on that Ryu Hoshi. Anyone strong enough to set a giant like Sagat off of his feet is the man I want!"

"Well sir, Ryu only sustained a bruise under the right eye. And his arm, well there was a mere sprain and some burns on the knuckles from the uppercut punch he executed on Victor Sagat."

"The one that debilitated Sagat…" Bison added. "Incredible."

"Well," Sarathy continued, "Since he had sustained such minor injuries, we had to release him; otherwise there would be some discrepancies."

Vega heard Bison pause for a few moments. The silence had a sharp edge. Then, without warning the crash of articles and breaking glass could be heard beyond the room. Bison seemed to be in a fit of rage. The doctor had been quiet for so long, he wondered if he had been killed on the spot right then and there.

"This does not please me in the least." Bison replied. "You find him and you find him now, or I cannot apologize to your wife and children for what I will do to you next."

"Yes but sir if you will please listen…"

"It better be worth my time." Bison's voice sounded further away that time, as if he were headed for the door.

"Mei-Lin Chai is still herein from her injuries amongst other things." The doctor explained. Vega added noted attention to the mention of Chun-Li. She was still here?

"She did well on her fight against Vega! Even I was a bit surprised, but that girl has nothing on Ryu." Bison barked.

"They know each other, and he and his friend Ken Masters have been in her room since she was admitted the other day."

"That's what I want to hear. You make sure you monitor them. Don't let them out of your sight."

"Right sir."

Another brief silence enveloped.

"And the girl how is she?" Bison finally asked.

"She's fine sir. She will get through her injuries; however she is in no condition to fight for a good while."

Bison scoffed in irritation. "Her injuries cannot be that serious."

"Oh they aren't sir, like I said, she will recover soon, but you should know that she is also in the early stages of pregnancy."

At first Vega wasn't sure how to react to that news. Chun-Li was pregnant? Piecing information together the concept of him actually being the one who had actually fathered the child now growing inside of her didn't fully register until he remembered something important. She was saving herself for marriage. She would not and could not have been with someone else in the time that he had graced her. This had to be a sign from God. What else could it have been? Realizing this notion, the whole concept became more and more real as the moments passed.

Being mindful of his broken ribs, he sat up in bed intently to listen to what Bison had to say.

His voice sounded disappointed but with an undercurrent of disdain. "So, she's a whore… how unfortunate; a waste of both time and money." There was another brief pause. "And she knew about this?

"No sir, she wasn't aware, I had to inform her of her condition. Her symptoms are already apparent."

"But wait a minute…" Bison continued as if idea suddenly seemed to come to mind.

"Sir?" Sarathy asked; his voice traced with stress that time.

"Do you realize how much genetic engineering we could conduct to shape that child to our own liking? With our own accomplishments of genetic engineering we could manipulate with genetic splicing and apply our own breakthrough of genius into this killing machine, and then through cloning manipulations we could create an entire army!"

"Sir these procedures take time." Sarathy respectfully protested. "Shadowlaw has been exposed and were not sure how long we have; it's only going to take time."

Another loud crash exploded through the room that time as the doctor cried out in pain.

"We have all the man power we need." Bison hissed. Vega was surprised by the suppressed tension in his tone after all of the commotion he had caused within the same time frame, "enough money, enough manpower, and enough brain to pull it off." His voice was louder that time.

A flood of something unfamiliar came over him just then as Bison talked of genetically manipulating the embryo of the unborn child Chun-Li carried. All in all should he have cared? Either outlook would not have benefitted his well being in the least, however as much empathy and compassion he lacked, a feeling, and a need to want to stop the transaction suddenly became stronger. Perhaps Chun-Li was to blame for these feelings. He had acted so out of character within himself since she came along into his life.

"It's for Shadowlaw!" The doctor cried. "Why not genetically manipulate someone who is already fully grown and capable."

"Because manipulating an embryo would accomplish much more. You don't have the concept of a preexisting nature to contend with! You hold much less risk of them failing you long term. This way you have full control!"

The doctor fell quiet for so long, Vega thought that he had fallen prey to the injuries inflicted by Bison. Then in a voice that sounded not his in, a voice of quiet conviction with a touch of confidence he said. "To be honest sir, I cannot allow myself to take part of something so inhumane. Life is precious, and children are a gift given to us. That girl has done nothing to have it taken away from her; she is simply a superb fighter that you are wishing to exploit for the gain of your organization. Let's face the facts, because I now have. Shadowlaw will fall. Everything in this place will fall, including you; it won't be tomorrow, but sooner than you realize. You've toyed with so many lives in ways that should have never tapped into and it should stop. With that said, I can now stand up for something that I feel strong. No more of my weak cowering. This is it…."

M. Bison was quiet, presumably taking all of what was said in. Then he laughed a humorless laugh that grew louder upon the second. As his laugh grew louder, Vega began to notice a bright bluish light began to pour through the crack in the slightly a jarred door of his hospital room.

"Well doctor Sarathy…" Bison's voice was ravaged with the undertone of an animalistic roar. "If you can't play on the team, you don't play at all." With those words being said there came an explosion through the room, the force of it shook the floor and made articles, the ones that were still standing anyway, to rattle from their various places. The light disappeared and all went silent for good. Footsteps were then heard leaving behind the slamming of the door.

There was no question that Bison had killed Dr. Sarathy in that moment. The morbid stillness of the air seemed to confirm that much. However this scenario didn't help his predicament. Vega needed to find Chun-Li, somehow, someway.

Quickly he began to remove several of the wired articles placed on his chest, various ones that measured the heart rate, oxygen, and blood flow. With more ease now he removed the IV from his forearm careful to not collapse the vein entirely. Once finished he climbed from bed, the seemingly new energy he felt for the situation was quickly thwarted by the soreness of his battered body. He was in no shape to be up and walking around normally, the broken ribs and the bruises sustained confirmed that.

He was close to turning around and lying back in his bed. However this new compelling feeling was what drove him now. It certainly was not of his own selfish and shallow convictions.

Vega stepped into the lab. It looked as though it had been destroyed by the natural force of a tornado, yet this was Bison's doing. Glass shards, papers, metal contraptions, computer monitors and machines, and unknown liquid substances littered the ground. In his bare feet he carefully stepped over everything mindful not to hurt himself further.

Sarathy's body, now a corpse, lay crumpled in the corner of the room; eyes were locked in a final look of frozen horror. His neck had been broken so bad that his head was faced to turn almost completely around in an inhuman and farfetched manner.

Vega stooped down and checked the body quickly. On the ground next to him was a small electronic pc. One he had carried around to document information on his patients. This had to have been the answer.

The screen was blank and Vega feared permanent damage had been cause by Bison in his fits of anger. To his dismay the screen came in however. Naturally it had been password protected. Checking the doctor again, he found a set of keys in his lab coat, one of the key rings held the VPIN, a small security device displaying a small set of digital numbers across the screen. He had recognized such devices. For security reasons, agencies like the government issued devices like these to employees. The digital display would show numbers across the screen, this would indicate the password, and however this would change every thirty seconds to a minute that the password would not stay the same.

Vega waited almost a minute for the numbers to reset themselves before he keyed the password in the small PC device. Logging in, he found Chun-Li's alias "Mei-Lin Chai" in an access database. She was on the fifth floor in room 511. He had to get to her quickly.


	7. Strange Escape

**CHAPTER SIX**

**Strange Escape**

Ryu didn't realize how late it was until a doctor entered Chun-Li's hospital room. He was a tall and thin man who walked with a pronounced stoop in his bony shoulders. He was nothing like the previous doctor, for in him sat an unexplainable creepiness, with an unfriendliness that undeniably accompanied him. Greasy stringy and thinning hair, and a set of thick circular framed glassed sat upon his pinched thin nose. He was literally someone you would see portrayed as a mad scientist in one of those old horror films from the 1940's

As he entered in with another man dressed in medical scrubs and whose face was concealed by a surgical mask, the doctor eyed both Ryu and Ken with a look of disdainful suspicion. They may as well have robbed a bank with the look they were given. In a voice thick with a European accent, he said "Visiting hours have been long over." He moved alongside them quickly with punctuality and stiffness in his stride. "You may visit her tomorrow once she has come out of this surgery."

"Surgery?" There was protest in Chun-Li's tone, "Didn't I just have surgery?"

"Corrective surgery my dear." He said sharply. Without any hesitation he injected a dosage of medicine into the drug receiver on her IV. "Just a sedative to bring you under so we can … get this procedure in motion"

Ryu wasn't for sure why this whole transaction hadn't felt right, but it didn't.

Before he was able to speak up, Ken said "Hey now, wait just a damn minute! First of all who are you? Second of all, what the hell are you doing? And thirdly, where is doctor Sarathy? You can't just waltz in here unannounced; try to kick us out so you can inject random drugs into our friend!"

The doctor looked back to his surgical tech counterpart and initially sneered then assumed an artificial stance of friendliness. "I'm Dr. Luvco. Dr. Sarathy has been um…" He hesitated, "…assigned to another ward, and we just got word that Miss Chai, your friend and my new patient, needs to go under for another corrective surgery to fix some of the stitching… It is nothing major; we just don't want infection to set in."

"What!?" Ken half shouted. "Whoever heard of that nonsense?"

"It happens, trust me." Luvco had begged to argue. Perhaps he was begging too hard.

Ryu still remained unconvinced. He had no reason to distrust this doctor. Come to think of it, what type of hospital was this anyway? The atmosphere and feel to the entire place had different façade than what would be expected out of a typical hospital. He had not seen one nurse, and the quietness of the place was even more daunting.

Chun-Li smiled then, something that she hadn't done much of within the past few hours. Ryu knew that something was troubling her, and he had some ideas as to what it could have related to. However his respect for her held him from wanting to prod into the situation she had seemed so evasive about.

The drug she had been administered seemed to start its work as she spoke in a hushed voice just above a whisper. "It's alright guys, I'll be okay… Just go home and get some rest."

Ken scratched the back of his head, lost for words. He looked to his friend.

Ryu nodded, although he wasn't fine with the situation, there was nothing he could readily do. He gave her hand a tight squeeze. "We'll see you in the morning, before you even wake up."

She smiled again as her eyes faded out.

Luvco turned to his assistant and ordered a command in Thai. The tech immediately left the room obliging. He then turned to Ken and Ryu, an expression of disdain was across his thin gaunt face. "Now gentlemen if you'll excuse me; I will need to get prepped for the surgery and return shortly." Just as quick and abrupt as he had come in, his exit hadn't been much different.

When he was gone, Ken turned to him. "Hey bro, let's go."

Ryu put up a hand of protest. "Just a minute; let's not leave her alone just yet. We should wait until they get back."

Ken took a seat back down in a provided chair, while Ryu placed himself on the edge of Chun-Li's hospital bed.

"Think she'll be alright?" Ken asked, breaking the assuming silence.

"She's strong, she'll get through this."

"Can you believe that, another surgery?"

"It's strange isn't it? I thought so too."

They talked on for several minutes more. The moments were uneventful, and with all of the waiting he began to grow increasingly impatient. Expecting the doctor and his tech assistant to arrive and attend to Chun-Li, Ryu was dismayed that they hadn't readily returned as they had first portrayed. The plan for this surgery seemed urgent enough that Luvco had even taken the time to place an injection into her. Ryu wasn't familiar with the process of anesthesiology, however to administer such drugs would certainly require a specified time limit before the effects would start to wear. He was under the assumption, based on common sense, in addition his own knowledge and what he'd seen on television programs, that during most surgeries, patients were given the right set of dosage only a few minutes before invasive procedures. Something wasn't adding up.

"I think Chun-Li will be finished travelling after this huh?" Ken asked trying to bring light to such an ambiguous situation.

"I doubt it." He looked over to his friend as she lay there. Beside the fact that he cared for her, deeply he also felt very compelled to protect her at whatever cost. It wasn't just a feeling brought on by his growing feelings for her. It was something deeper. Something etched within his very nature.

"So where are they?" Ken finally said, "What's taking so long? They sure are taking their time for someone who seemed so deadest in getting Chun-Li operated on."

"Don't know." Ryu stood. His eye sharply turned towards the door. "I'll go check it out. You wait here with her."

He stepped out into the hallway hospital. At this time of night the corridors had been dimly lit by the back-up generator lights within the building. Other than that, the place was seemed like a ghost town. As he made his way further down the assumptions about the place had been confirmed. No other casualties had occupied the place. He walked by vacant room after vacant room, the notion of his assumption already confirmed.

Where was everyone? Surely they hadn't been the only patrons on the floor.

Just then, the sound of shattering glass broke his in current thought of rationalization. Ryu quickly followed the sound just around the corner. Just to his left, he could see light pouring out from what had appeared to be a supply room.

Ryu had spotted something dark smeared across the industrial title floor. His eyes began to follow a trail of blood that had made it was way just beyond the opened doorway. As he neared closer, he saw a pair of feet, legs, torso and then the full picture of someone laying there just under a shelf. It had been the body of the surgical tech who had accompanied Luvco in their meeting. It was obvious he was dead, his body sprawled, arms out in front of him, a large crimson pool of fresh blood had pooled around his head for it appeared as though his throat had been cut in a swift precision. It was a wonder he hadn't heard anything while still back in the room with Chun-Li. Whoever was behind this deed seemed quick and inconspicuous.

There was no time to call for help. The blood on the body had been too fresh, which meant there was a high possibility that the one behind this vicious act had remained. Ryu continued to make his way toward the area that he'd initially heard the sound. Finding whoever had done this could possibly prevent anyone else from being hurt. Further down a ways, he came upon a vacant nurse's station. Any other time, in any other hospital, a place like this held nurses and other hospital staff around the clock.

Seated at the front desk in front of a lighted computer monitor, he spotted Dr. Luvco in one of the provided office chairs. His head was bowed as if in a quiet somber prayer. Based on the previous circumstances of what had gone on in this floor, Ryu was almost certain he wasn't praying. As he neared closer to examine him, the doctor's body suddenly fell lifelessly to the ground in a bit of a commotion. The office chair which held his body rolled forcefully against a back counter. His glasses with bent frames and broken shards of glass were littered around on the floor. Just like the tech, his throat had too been slashed in clean precision. His gaunt face seemed to stare at him.

Ryu immediately began to rush back to the room, as quickly and as quietly as he could. Certain they were no longer safe, he knew he needed to get them all out of there. Hurrying along, he noticed movement in the shadows just ahead of him at the corner of the hallway in the direction of Chun-Li's hospital room. If this were the intruder, he would have to divert their attention away from his friends.

"Hey you!" he called.

The movement of the shadow stopped quickly.

"Who's there? Show yourself and no one will get hurt!" Ryu readied himself in a fighting stance, prepared to take on whom or whatever had come his way. He neared the edge of the wall carefully.

His weapon drawn as if ready to attack Vega slipped out in front of him carefully from the other side of the wall just as conspicuous had he had been. Ryu was first to notice the blood which dripped from his claws and from that notion Ryu remained in a pivotal fighting stance not knowing what he might do.

Vega peered at him curiously, and then dropped his guard once he was recognized. Something in his eyes disturbed Ryu but he couldn't put his finger on it. His face was riddled with small bruises, and his white of his left eye had turned to a dark almost purple crimson from the injury inflicted upon him during his fight with Chun-Li earlier.

"Ryu…" he acknowledged civilly.

"What are you doing in here?" Ryu asked. He was dismayed at how demanding his voice sounded.

"You all are in danger." He said.

Ryu looked down at the bloody claw, then back to him. At this point he wasn't sure what to make of him. After Chun-Li's sudden change of attitude toward him and his surprising appearance the other day in the ring, Ryu couldn't quite piece just what was transpiring with this guy. Judging by the appearance of blood on his weapon, and even a bit of it that managed to splash on his face, it was evident to Ryu now that Vega had been the one who had killed those men. And not knowing whether he'd be next, Ryu still felt he had to remain on guard.

"We have no time." Vega continued calmly, "we need to get Chun-Li out of here, before they find us."

"There are two dead men out there, you're the one with the bloody weapons and you're telling us were in danger? In danger of who? You?"

Vega smirked with a chuff and instead of responding he turned towards the direction of Chun-Li's room. Now convinced he wouldn't attack, Ryu followed him.

Back in the room, Ken stared at Vega, then at Ryu in confusion. "What's going on here?" He asked.

Ryu shrugged still unsure.

"You all are in danger…" Vega repeated. He immediately made his way over to Chun-Li's bedside where he knelt down by her side.

"Ok so what the hell is going on!?" Ken half shouted, he looked over to Vega. "Why are you here and where is the doctor?"

"Well it looks as though there won't be a surgery tonight." Ryu explained. "Doctor Luvco and his assistant are dead. I found them out in the corridors."

"What?!" Ken cried. "How?" They both looked to Vega

Instead of reacting to the energy that their conversation had created, Vega remained by Chun-Li's side. He gazed at her in a look of adoration and something else. He seemed lost in her. Still the darkness in his eyes worried Ryu.

"Hello?" Ken called to him. "Could you come back to earth with us, and tell us what is going on."

Instead of responding immediately, Vega glared at them and with some difficultly, he held his side as if in pain as he managed to stand. "We need to get out of here or you all will be captured and taken prisoner."

"From what?" Ken continued to shout. "Could you even elaborate?"

Vega shook his head as he chuckled dryly. "Oh you have no idea… The whole purpose of this tournament was to recruit skilled fighters like yourself, and her." He regarded Chun-Li. The same loving expression crossed his face as he looked to her again. Ryu was beginning to find his actions disturbing.

"Chun-Li or even Ryu for that matter aren't even in a position for fighting anyone." Ken said to him. "Besides, the way you messed her up like you did, she has to go in for another surgery."

His expression softened briefly as regarded Chun-Li. Although Ryu wasn't sure now, after the brutality he saw out there, if Vega was even capable of having much concern. He shook his head quietly. "They were lying to you." He said. "That was their ploy to bring her into captivity so they can experiment on her… I overheard them in the hall talking earlier."

"You were spying on us?" Ryu demanded quietly. "How do we even know to trust you after hearing of all your knowledge on this?"

"You don't have a choice. If you stay here you'll be captured." Vega seemed too sure of himself. "There is a man by the name of M. Bison who is behind this whole operation. He is the leader of this entire organization called Shadowlaw. Knowing Chun-Li the way you do, I'd say you've heard a lot about them."

"Shadowlaw!?" Ken cried. "That's who's behind this thing? Wow I should have known!"

Ryu and Ken looked at each other. Shadowlaw had been the same case that Dorai Xiang had been working on right before he was murdered. Vega's knowledge of this could not have been a coincidence. M. Bison? Why did that name sound familiar?

"Now that I have your attention, let us hurry. Help me get Chun-Li out of this bed and to a safer location."

Ken held his hand in protest. "Wait just a second Vega, how do we know you're not this trap you're talking about?"

"You don't know do you? I suppose you will have to trust me." He looked down at Chun-Li as he began to remove the moniter wiring from her skin. "Besides, this is all for her. My beautiful lady… Only for her…"

As stood there Ken began to piece everything together. "So then Vega killed the Doctor and his tech to keep them from getting to Chun-Li."

"Yes I killed them." Vega admitted. "If not you would have just watched them, in your own ignorance, take her away into captivity." Realizing they were both lost for words he continued in his explanation, "Here's a bit more information to prove to you that I know that what I'm talking about. Dr. Sarathy was the original doctor attending to Chun-Li. Am I correct in this?"

"Yes…" Ken simply acknowledged.

"From my hospital bed, I overheard this doctor talking to Bison about Chun-Li and his plans for her. Dr. Sarathy, as humane as he was would not abide with Bison's plans and he was killed as a result. Hence the new doctor you were assigned, that disgusting nutcase Luvco."

Ken stared in disbelief. He had still been lost for words but Ryu found that the both of them were helping Vega to get Chun-Li from the bed. Mindful to not irritate her wounds, Vega cradled her gently in his arms. In moderating his actions with her Ryu was curious as to what had actually transpired between the two of them, their attitudes towards one another were on opposite ends of the spectrum. If it wasn't for the fact that Chun-Li had indeed showed such a strong attraction and interest in him while back in New York, Ryu would have just assumed that she had just grown bored with him. He knew it was deeper than that however and something didn't quite add up.

Uncertain as to what would happen just yet, Ken and Ryu followed Vega as he lead then two of them, along with Chun-Li out of a less conspicuous exit.

"It will not be wise to go back to wherever you all are staying." Vega explained. "Once they realize what's happened and that we've all escaped they will look for all of us, including myself." He looked down at Chun-Li.

"Where the heck are we supposed to go then genius?" Ken asked him. "All of our stuff is at the place we rented."

Vega threw him a peripheral glare. "Like most people with common sense, they would just find another hotel. Something less obvious."

"How convenient," Ken said sarcastically.

They walked on in silence through the streets of Bangkok. Although the walk didn't bother him despite his own injuries in his fight with Sagat, Ryu had wondered why they hadn't taken a taxi for a much faster escape.

With some difficulty with the pain of his injuries, all while he held Chun-Li in his arms, Vega was able to recover a cell phone from on his person. He punched in a series of number and moments later in a voice that was rich in the traditional Castilian accent, he spoke in a language that sounded like Spanish over the line. Though Ryu had been exposed to some Spanish in the past, he wasn't able to readily catch what was being said. After he hung up the phone he turned to them. "We are having someone from the embassy drive us to wherever we need to go."

"How are you getting the Spanish embassy involved in this mess!?" Ken demanded. "This is crazy!"

"With my status I have my connections. They will ask no questions, trust me."

"That's getting real hard to do. We can get Chun-Li and kindly see our own way out of the country ourselves before they find us out."

"She is not leaving my side." Vega regarded with an icy stare.

"You just better know what the hell you're doing that's for sure. That's for damn sure." Ken regarded back with a gaze much similar.

Ryu remained to himself while the two of them continued to clash further and further. More and more he was beginning to wish that Chun-Li was awake to tell her side of everything that was going on. He needed to hear from her, but he knew he would have to wait until she regained consciousness. For now they would have to follow Vega's shady lead.

***

They were picked up in a Limousine owned by the Spanish embassy and taken to their undisclosed location. At his own expense, and because they had no cash on their person, Vega placed them in a less conspicuous suite. Fortunately the embassy had provided them with changes of new clean clothes and other accessorized apparel. Although they could have left the country to escape on their own term, Ryu knew that Chun-Li wasn't in any condition to travel, and he didn't want to leave her alone with Vega either.

Though it hadn't been near as nice and expensive at the other place, Ryu couldn't complain. It wasn't a rat hole to say the least it was nice and modest. Ken however would have begged to differ.

"Man, are you kidding me!? No Cable?"

"If you're going to complain about trivial things, you can find your own lodging." Vega replied. "You do understand that the first place they will look for us is someplace upscale."

"Why does it have to be us?" Ken said. "The three of us came here on our own. We appreciate all that you've done, but you can leave at any time."

Vega looked to Chun-Li while she lay on one of the beds. "I told you I was not leaving her. She is my destiny."

"Sorry buddy can't say that Chun-Li would say the same about you. I know she's down for the count right now but I have the suspicious feeling that once she wakes up she won't be jumping into any marriage proposal you have for her. She wouldn't tell us what went on but she doesn't sound too happy with you right now."

Ken was ignored.

Ryu remained where he was. He knew the answers he sought wouldn't come as readily as he wanted them to. He attempted to remain civil toward Vega, for as far as he had known, he had saved their lives from some unforeseen doom. He didn't believe however that he had done this for them in the slightest. He knew that both himself and Ken were in the way of whatever plans he had.

The more they talked, let down their guard and interacted with Vega the more he began to realize just how strange he really was, so much so that he knew now that remaining near Chun-Li had clearly been in her benefit.

Just at dawn, long after Ken had fallen asleep in the room in which they slept, Ryu got out of bed to and journeyed across the hallway to check on Chun-Li. Although she had not awakened from her drug induced slumber, he did find something odder. As Vega remained next to her, he found that he had his hand to her lower abdomen caressing it gently, momentarily whispering something to it. Other than knowing the behavior was strange, Ryu could not and would not jump to any further conclusions.


	8. Deception Slithers with Pride

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

**Deception Slithers With Pride**

**I**t was magical; the feeling of love was something powerful. In this state she could fathom love but in a way in which words only limited the description thereof. This notion was spoken and felt with only the spirit, any instance of the flesh for she knew would only pollute the real meaning of what this truly was.

Chun-Li wondered if this was what God's love was like. Or perhaps to even further delve into the subject she wondered if this was what she had been experiencing there in that convoluted moment; the feeling of God's love like she had never experienced before.

Though her surroundings hadn't been consistent with any particular flow of time or space, Chun-Li felt at ease. A word involuntarily entered her mind again. The one her father had spoken to her just recently in their encounter: Forgive.

She didn't know where to begin. She didn't know how to forgive. Since this was love she felt, the feeling she basked in that very moment had to have been God she was experiencing to some form, she asked for help in some intricate though process for help in such a daunting task.

Chun-Li pondered on the subject more, bringing her thoughts to the terrible circumstance in which she had viewed herself to be in; the murder of her father, the rape, and now a pregnancy. Instantly as those thoughts entered her mind, she found herself to be in a more familiar state of being. All fleshly sense and awareness had begun to return.

Sense of touch, slowly began to generate within her. Hands touched and caressed her lovingly, stroking her face, her neck, and her shoulders. Mind still in transition, Chun-Li pondered if these very hands had been the hands of God which now showed His love in a more familiar sense. She felt herself smiling. Her sense of hearing then began to return as well.

"I think she's waking up," she heard Ken's voice say. "Get out of the way bozo."

"Chun-Li," Another familiar voice called. "It's Ryu… Can you hear me?"

"Ryu…" She whispered. Her friends were around her, and in that time memory of her surgery had returned to her. Slowly she began to open her eyes, optic nerves slowly adjusting to the flood of light that poured through her weakened retinas. Her body ached terribly, nausea began to surface.

"My beautiful…" an uncanny familiar voice said that time.

Chun-Li allowed her eyes to settle in on her surroundings slowly. Directly in off to her left sat Vega, the last person she would ever imagine being by her side. His eyes, still showing the effects of the injuries she had inflicted upon them in their fight, had peer down at her in a look that was concurrent to the time they had briefly dated. In that instant alarm suddenly arose up within her as she realized she was no longer in the hospital where she last had been.

Ken and Ryu stood in the background against the wall; they soon came to her side as they realized her expression and voice showed a sudden state of alarm.

"Where am I, and why is he here?" She asked regarding Vega.

"I'm still asking myself the same question," Ken muttered.

Ryu sat down on the edge of her bed. "The place they had us in was run by Shadowlaw, this whole operation…"

"… the tournament, the fights, the hospital everything…" Ken added.

Ryu continued. "Since your father was behind the whole drug bust back in New York, Shadowlaw is in danger of being exposed. Their ruler, some guy named M. Bison decided to throw this tournament to gain strong fighters for purpose of adding them to an army of mindless killing machines."

"That creepy doctor wasn't going to perform any surgery; they were going to take you away to perform experiments on you." Ken informed. "Vega here saved your life. He saved all of our lives."

This wasn't happening. This just couldn't have been happening. Chun-Li waited to wake up from the dream, yet still she remained lost for words.

"I know; it's crazy." Ken said, and proceeded to explain how Dr. Sarathy, the original doctor had been killed by the hand of Bison, and how Vega had overheard what Bison's plans had been for her. He then explained that Vega killed Dr. Luvco and his tech assistant before they had a chance to take her away. Apparently over the past day and a half that she had been out, a lot had happened. Through aid of the Spanish embassy, Vega had obtained a place for them to stay, where they had remained. Apparently not too long after, Shadowlaw, whom had obviously caught on to what had happened began their search.

Unable to get the answers they needed in regards to the where-abouts of Vega, or the three of them, they had learned from the news that the organization and most likely Bison had ordered the Spanish Embassy bombed. Thirteen people in all were killed and several more were injured from the explosion. The media as did law enforcement continued in the investigation believing the despicable act was a revolt from terrorists.

Chun-Li wondered, after all he had done to her, how he had literally destroyed a large portion of her life, why Vega was doing this for them now. He gazed down at her, all consumed. She finally had to speak on her behalf. "But Vega works for Shadowlaw…"

"Did…" He corrected. "After all of this, they know what I've done and they want me dead. I know this." He went to touch her face.

Chun-Li dodged his hand. "Don't touch me…"

"Chun-Li, you okay?" Ken asked coming to her side. His eyes shifted to Vega warily concerned.

Tears edged in the corners of her eyes that time. Composing herself she managed to stifle her emotions to speak, "He's the one. He killed my father."

Ken and Ryu immediately stood on guard at that news.

"You've got to be kidding me." Ken spoke in disbelief.

Vega chuckled nonchalantly at the budding trepidation, disregarding the feelings his presence was invoking in the moment. "I was ordered under Bison's rules to kill him. They had me follow the detective, gave me his information. It was either my life or his." He paused contemplatively, "I was just never expecting to be caught up in the beauty you've graced me with Chun-Li. That is surely the truth"

"Cut the crap!" Ken snapped. "Why are you here?" He looked to Chun-Li "And how could you keep something like that from us? Were your friends! We could have had his butt prosecuted, maybe seeking death penalty. My dad knows the best lawyers. It's going to be harder to prove now since it's been so long!"

Chun-Li was too ashamed to explain the entire situation. She didn't want to portray the entire scenario that played out following Dorai's death; how she had been raped, her pregnancy. Would they really understand if she had relayed this news to them?

Vega turned his eyes to her again. A look of self satisfaction had crossed over his face. "This girl, rather, this woman, caused me to hastily and blindly resent her for reasons that are now irrelevant. There are more important things to be concerned over, for one she is carrying my child. I know that this is my sign and I have an obligation now to her." For reasons unknown to her, or to anyone else for that matter, his expression grew sad as if he recalled something painful within his own mind. A somberness crept into his eyes as he looked down. "It's like I've been given a second chance…"

Ken attempted to lunge at him that time, screaming "You Lie!" Ryu restrained his friend attempting to settle him.

How could he have known that she was pregnant? Had Bison and Sarathy discussed her condition within his line of hearing? This scenario had seemingly been more obvious than not.

"Chun-Li, he's lying isn't he?!" Ken asked as he finally settled down. Both he and Ryu regarded her in a search for answers. She felt Vega's eyes on her as well.

Chun-Li closed her eyes, refusing to meet any of theirs. "No…" She finally relented. "He's not. Dr. Sarathy informed me I was pregnant the other day."

There was an awkward yet tense silence.

Not even further delving on the particulars of the complex situation, the two of them said nothing for a long while. Ken sighed in frustration and plopped himself down into a nearby armchair. Ryu only remained standing and continued to just stare in a saddened and disappointed look of disbelief.

Vega regarded her with a smile. If having the strength to do so, Chun-Li would have re-shifted his face with her fist.

Finally Ken spoke up again to her. "Man… what are you gonna do? I mean a baby? That's like serious work."

"I know…" she admitted quietly.

"There's always abortion."

"That's not an option!" Vega boldly protested.

"Shut-up I'm not talking to your sorry excuse for a butt!" Ken glared hatefully at him. "I'm talking to my friend who has a choice in this matter."

"Ken you know I don't believe in that…"

"Nor did you believe in sex before marriage, but I guess that lapsed didn't it?" He carelessly stated.

"No…" She said, hurt by his brash words. "He actually drugged, and took me by force."

Ken lunged at Vega again, and that time Ryu did not restrain him.

***

The fight which broke between Ken and Vega had not been long. Realizing they had all been under scrutiny and close watch by Shadowlaw, the two of them relented in their struggle. To keep things between everyone at equal level, Vega was forced to leave.

He protested heavily, not wishing to leave Chun-Li's side. Yet in the end however, realizing we was outnumbered by both Ken and Ryu, and already injured as it was, he had no choice but to. He was quite angry, actually very angry indeed; angry that he could do nothing about the situation. The perceived humiliation he had endured in the transition had been such a blow to his already inflated ego. On his way out the door those eyes burned with a fierce rage just boiling beneath the surface. If they had been actual daggers, Ken and Ryu would have surely felt their sting.

Before his departure he turned to Chun-Li, and in an expression softening to its typical look of adoration saying, "I have an obligation to fulfill to you my beautiful. I will be seeing you again, but until then…"

Chun-Li remained quiet, her eyes at a downcast as she was lost for words and overall stressed from the entire ordeal.

Vega smiled, closed his eyes and nodded in whatever imagined confirmation he thought she might have given. Then bowing at the hip as if he had just performed a spectacular show, he bid her farewell and shut the door behind him.

After he was gone, the three of them looked to one another.

"Seriously?!" Ken cried, obviously disturbed by the behavior he had seen. "I mean is he for real? What a nutcase!!"

"It's like he won't take no for an answer…" Ryu added.

Ken looked to Chun-Li. "It's more like his ears are programmed not to hear a single negative word of resistance. What is wrong with him? There just has to be a screw loose in there somewhere."

"I don't know. Perhaps he just feels obliged because of my condition." Chun-Li suggested. "It's like his chivalry remains, but it's so warped now to a point of delusion."

Ken chuffed. "You sure picked a winner."

"I didn't pick anything!" She shot back hastily. "And you didn't have to say what you did either. That was really uncalled for." Tears edged on the corner of her eyes.

"Easy there girl… I was only joking, just calm down." He replied in a tone almost as tense as hers had been.

"Vega just looks like that type that is just used to getting what he wants. It sounds like someone else I know." Ryu looked over to Ken, who had obviously missed the subtle sarcasm in his statement; his eyes then settled onto Chun-Li. "I'm sure he thinks that the fact that your paths have crossed is a sign of destiny, especially now that a child is involved."

And perhaps Ryu was right; perhaps there was a higher purpose in this whole unfolding situation. Although maybe it hadn't been the same supposed destined purpose that Vega had in mind.

The silence was eminent that time.

"So what now?" Ken asked.

"Well we need to leave somehow as quickly as we can. We now know that Vega was telling the truth and Shadowlaw is on the trail to find us." Ryu explained.

"How are we going to do that?" Chun-Li asked from her place on the bed. "Even if we try to get on an airplane, that's the first place they'll look."

He turned to regard Chun-Li. "What a smart move you pulled, changing your name like that to throw them off."

"It was just something I felt I needed to do, especially with the recent death of my dad." She explained. "I can't really describe the feeling…"

"Well that's pretty good intuition you have. Wish mine had worked when I needed it." Ken said. "I do have an idea though. It may not be as conventional but it should still work."

"What's that?" Ryu asked him.

"We board a boat at the docks. If we pay someone enough, we could probably get them to take us down the gulf to an island called Ko Samui. I can call one of my dad's private jets; have them meet us there so that it can take us back to the states where we can make our next move. I'll need to contact Eliza and tell her to meet us in Seattle."

"Won't that be one of the first places they'll look for us?" Ryu asked.

"Don't know, after they blew up the Spanish embassy like that, it looks like they're after Vega first."

"That should buy us some time. We should get moving soon."

It would have seemed customary to have traveled by nightfall to appear less noticeable by the enemy; however Shadowlaw, much like its namesake seemed to operate in full force by the shadow of the night. Leaving at the enemy's prime would have only been an invitation into their world and where most would have probably been searching for them during the night hours it would be less ideal for travel.

Ken, Ryu and Chun-Li gathered what little they had in their possession and made their way out to the dock harbor at around eleven o'clock the following morning. Upon their arrival, Ken was able to get in touch with the crew that was contracted for piloting Ken's father with whatever trips he needed to make. Ken had estimated to them that their trip to Ko Samui by boat would take three days, and this had given the crew ample amount of time for them to prepare the jets for departure.

The sun was out full and bright that late June morning. The weather had been evenly tempered that day and Chun-Li felt especially good about their trip. In what little and broken Thai she knew, as well as with Ken's help in providing the cash, she was able to convince a fisherman, a young man by the name of Tam who had been around the age of eighteen, to taxi them to the island. The boat, which had been of a pretty decent size to start off, had actually belonged to the young man's father who ran a rather profitable fishing business along the coast of the Bangkok metropolitan area. He had been very unsure about taking the boat for three days so far away from everything he knew, yet Ken insistently bargained and made him an offer he wasn't able to refuse. Though he would be losing income to a few days of missed work, the money offered was way over compensated in return. With enough insistent bargaining, Tam finally agreed to the proposition, seemingly more excited that he would be making such a profit for his services than anything else. The money Ken offered him covered the expense of fuel for his entire trip and then some. He explained that the three of them would arrive at the island in approximately three days.

To Chun-Li the boat had been pretty decent, it came with sleeping quarters below deck and other comfort enmities meant for long fishing trips. Both she and Ryu had been satisfied with the arrangement, however living in such a condition, even though temporary had been beneath Ken.

"If we hadn't been on the run from Shadowlaw," he said bitterly "I would have rented us a Yacht."

"We wouldn't have had need for any of this if we weren't on the run from them." Ryu replied.

Ken shrugged. "Regardless, of whatever situations we would have been in, I would have rented a yacht… regardless…"

Ryu shook his head, waving away his friend's impending stress induced statement.

Before boarding, they bought a few articles from the area market that they would need on their trip and they had been mindful as to where they had gone and who had been watching them. Shadowlaw as of that moment seemed to be a mindless and faceless entity that seemed frighteningly omnipresent in its own sense.

Just a little before noon, the boat started off on its journey. Its rhythmic motion was not easy on Chun-Li and she had never done well with circumstances that invoked motion sickness; and to add her pregnancy on top of that made matters much worse. For much of the trip she had made sure she stayed close to the boat's railing side toward the front.

Ken and Ryu remained to themselves; the conversation they shared was inaudible from where she sat. Their distance toward her had been apparent now, perhaps processing the news about her condition while at the same time still trying to figure out how to simply compose themselves toward her. Chun-Li could only guess. The situation she had found herself in had certainly been uncomfortable for everyone. And while their actions, whether deliberate or not hadn't bothered her, the sense of impending isolation had.

Sitting there on the bow portion of the boat, Chun-Li thought about her disposition. The uncertainty in her life had never been more prevalent. The idea of having no job, no husband, and now a child on the way made her a afraid on the surface, yet in the back of her mind she felt at ease about it. Her father always said that things always worked themselves out for the good, as long as the faith was there. Chun-Li wanted to even mock this notion, and there were times that she had done so. Faith had been almost a laughing matter rested against the circumstance she was in. Her life tangled in a game of wits by higher forces than she herself could even fathom. No longer wanting to escape into the release that weeping brought her, Chun-Li found the source of her pain, the outlet of her tears, and her emotions had begun to desiccate. In its place came the numbing effect of bitterness.

She asked herself endlessly in the last few weeks, who would she be spiting by holding such a cynical complacency? God certainly would not have been the object of spite, but after all He allowed this to happen to her. However Chun-Li knew there just had to be a purpose in all of this, though she could not see it currently. And Vega, while his regard for her had been strange, the remorselessness nature behind his actions had been his barrier against her unfettered rage toward him. If anything, she would only be spiting herself and no one else. Bitterness was a festering debilitation of the spirit, a ravaging disease to the soul, and a weight that pulled on self existence through the anchors of a heart that was in process of turning to stone. If God could not see her through this, then who would?

Then there were the others to think about as well in this. Her Aunt Lin, and Ming; Julia and Guile; Fei Long; how would they react to the news? What would they think of her? Guile had given his warnings off at a time most crucial and she didn't listen. What will he have to say now? The coldness of his nature could only keep Chun-Li guessing as to what he would say. With her current state of disposition, Chun-Li wasn't sure if she would be able to handle any cutting remarks from him and would be liable to simply fall apart if so. She thought of her young cousin Ming and how the girl had looked upon her as a sort of role model, the sister she never had. How would she appear now in the eyes of someone so young and impressionable? While something like that should not have worried her due to the nature of the situation, she remained bothered none-the-less.

***

Although it was really of no concern to him, Vega was fully aware of the consequences associated in aiding the escape of his beloved Chun-Li Xiang and her agitating friends Ken Masters and Ryu Hoshi. It was certain death indeed. After years of working for Shadowlaw however, he found he had learned a least one vital aspect of composure. That was to always stay one step ahead of your enemies, at whatever cost. This bit of knowledge was indeed important to have, especially now in this moment.

After leaving the hotel in, Vega brought his things and reluctantly journeyed to the slum district of Bangkok. It wasn't pleasant. On the contrary it was disgusting; for he had never seen, much less fathomed that such poverty and blatant downright repulsiveness ever existed. As uncomfortable as it had been, it was also practical none the less, as it was in his best interest for the time being to take cover in an area of town that had very little traces of Shadowlaw, and area that was too impoverished to set up any type of devious trade, and more importantly an area where his face would have little chance of recognition.

He walked the dirt road, along the many rows of rundown buildings, makeshift shacks and endless garbage. People stared at him curiously from their rather simple dwellings. It was quite possible that they had never in person laid their eyes on one with fair hair and eyes. Let's not forget, one as strikingly beautiful as he had indeed been. It was the last place he would ever find himself, but yet and still he marveled in their stares.

While he walked on, Vega pondered on his next plan of action. This trademarked notion of always staying one step ahead of your enemy swayed in concurrent with the cloud of ideas that rolled across his mind. Due to his heavy involvement in Shadowlaw affairs, he had come to know many of the organizations incriminating secrets, landmarks, and other dealings of illegal trade with various organized revolts like the Japanese Yakuza, various gangs throughout Central and North America such as the Bloods, the Cripps, and MS-13. He knew all too well of their allied involvement with the South American government and their known drug cartels, and even their supply of weapons to Al Qaeda. Vega knew it all, and because of this knowledge, he knew he was sought after in high priority. Before even going after the very ones he had helped to escape, it was inevitable that Bison would be targeting him first.

Vega was wary of his surroundings and in the moment everything seemed uneventful enough to cease his walking for the time being. In the time of mental solitude, his thoughts collected quite fluidly. The predicament in which he found himself was a large inconvenience, but it was for the child that Chun-Li carried, his child. It was for them and if he was to survive this ordeal and see her again, then perhaps the appearance of his own death would have to come about in some way. If Bison wanted him dead, he would have to accommodate his wishes without bringing physical harm to himself.

The brilliant idea came to him when his thoughts traced back to a conversation he had with his agent some months ago. He had known Ricardo Galvan Ibarra since childhood, for the man had been a friend of his family for many years. Upon entering the ring as a bullfighter, Ibarra became his agent. Vega's own good looks, charm, skill, and noble status as a Baron in Catalonia coincided with Ibarra's gift of influence to create a rather successful career in the central spotlight of Spain. For this, the man held Vega's utmost respect. Just two weeks before his assignment on Dorai Xiang, Ibarra brought an idea he initially found to be rather absurd.

In this conversation Ibarra had shared his feelings on how a career boost was in order, and had brought in the suggestion of doing a theatrical movie on Vega's life. The idea had involved bringing in an actor who favored him in looks to play the lead role. To his initial and utter dismay, Ibarra had already scouted people to begin the process of finding men who resembled him across the continent of Europe. Vega felt the idea was farfetched, for there would never be one as handsome as he to live up to such high a standard. Deep down Vega feared this imposter Vega would somehow ruin the image he had already relayed to his adoring fans. From there the idea was dropped never to be spoken of again.

In that moment Vega found his own intelligence to be far superior to even that of Bison. Knowing how Shadowlaw operated, in their method of surveillance, he figured his various estates across the Mediterranean coast in Catalonia were even being watched in within that moment. This was why it was important to indeed always stay one step ahead of the enemy.

In lieu of his thoughts, Vega dialed his agent immediately.

***

Except for the beautiful scenery which had surrounded them along their travel down the edge of the coast, the journey itself had for the most part remained uneventful. As first predicted the trip lasted a total of two and a half days, including the two times it had taken for the boat to refuel.

Although she really should not have been, Chun-Li was dismayed to find that Ko Samui was actually a beautiful chain of green getaway paradise islands utilized and vacationed by the wealthy and elite of societies around the world. Located just off of the coast of Kra Ithsmus Thai Land, it came lined complete with lush beautiful jungle, white sands, and clear blue water with an array of coral wreaths beneath the waters surface. Ken of course had chosen the location so no ounce of dismay should have been there in the first place.

As they neared the shore off the coast of one of the smaller islands, Ryu said, "For some reason I thought this place would have been deserted, or at least low populated." He had seemed just as surprised by the sight as Chun-Li had.

"Same here," She piped in.

Ken scoffed. "Who do I look like to you, Crocodile Dundee? Am I here to hop onto some raggedy thrown together old cargo plane, escaping the hands of Shadowlaw in some outlandish adventurous fashion?" He laughed out loud.

"Um that sounds more like Indiana Jones." Chun-Li said sheepishly.

"Well whatever, there won't be any of that, not now, or ever. Now there's an air yard just ahead off of these docks. I know because I've been here several times."

"Guess I should not have been so surprised… huh?" Ryu asked as he turned to Chun-Li.

"Guess not…"

The jet arrived on schedule as planned. After bribing more natives with cash, Ken was able to speak to the pilot from the command post to guide him to the smaller island's air yard since it had been separate from the much larger airport off the main island. The outside of the jet had dawned Dalton Masters' red and black financial coerced logo, Master Corp on the either back end sides between tail and back engines.

They boarded the jet shortly after it had landed. Rather than the traditional row seating that one would find in a regular travel jet, this one appeared customized and catered to the personal comfort of the rider above all else. It looked to Chun-Li like a small lounge quarter rather than a jet. There was a full wet bar, a built in sixty inch monitor display, reclining leather seats, a full bath and shower, along with a private sleeping quarter off to the side.

With the intent of not discrediting her friend in her own mind, Chun-Li herself didn't think she could ever get comfortable being around this type of luxury, for she feared that getting wrapped up in something so extreme and so uncustomary for most people in the world, that she would lose sight to what was really important in life.

"Make yourselves at home." Ken said to his friends. "What's mine is yours and so-on."

The whole operation certainly hadn't been conspicuous like Chun-Li had first thought it would have been and this made her uneasy. Yet Ken seemed to pay no regard to what was going on around him. He sat across from her in one of the white leather recliners and grabbed the remote to the monitor in preparation for viewing.

"Movie?" he asked, gesturing to the screen.

"I'll pass…" said Ryu, "I think this will be a good time for sleep since I didn't do much of that these past few days on the boat.

Chun-Li too had to agree on that one. She was dead tired.

"There's a bed in that room," Ken pointed to the door off to their left towards the rear of the jet. "Once we hit appropriate elevation… you can go lay down." He gave her a strange expression upon that sentence, then said, "That's right, I forgot about… your condition…"

Neither of the three of them had spoken about it since they had been with Vega all those days ago. And the subject though a bit worn by the knowledge of a few days, had still created a bit of awkward tension for the three of them.

"Well it certainly doesn't give me a lot of energy being this way…" She said trying to make light of the uncomfortable subject.

Ken only frowned and shook his head grimly. "That bastard, I can't believe him." He looked at Ryu. "I should have killed him you know. He was still down for the count from his fight from Chun-Li, I could have done it."

"And what would that have solved?" Ryu asked sincerely. "Yes he took Chun-Li's father away from her, through the hands of Shadowlaw, but he is also the father of that child growing inside of her, are you saying you want to do the same in return to this baby? Two wrongs don't make a right Ken."

Ken only shook his head in opposition to his statement. "You've got to be joking Ryu. What kind of father do you think he'll even be? In my eyes, that kid will have no father."

"You're not following what I'm saying…" Ryu stated calmly.

"No, you're not following what I'm saying!" Ken said standing that time as he was lost in his point. With his arm he gestured to Chun-Li as he continued. "This baby was not made out of love, or passion, or any of the appropriate actions that would be listed above. No! It was created through trickery, force, manipulation and pure selfishness…." His words faded and he began to pace. "That guy is lucky he left when he did." Ken pounded his fist in his other hand.

"The point is, is that what's done is done." Ryu said as he remained seated in his own subtle confidence. "Everyone has a purpose, regardless of the circumstance in which we were created…" He looked to Chun-Li "… and you have a choice to make about a lot of things."

Chun-Li looked to the ground as she placed her hand over her lower abdomen. In that moment she was sure she could feel her child within her. Though now only a tiny ball of cells, its presence was still known and felt by her.

"I do have a lot of choices to make…" She finally spoke in. "I don't have it all worked out and I know I will need time for that, but I do know I am having this baby."

Ryu patted her shoulder and smiled an appreciative smile at her. "You don't realize how strong you are. Please know that I'm here in whatever choices follow this one."

"Me too..." Ken finally spoke after moments of silence from across the room. His tone was slightly reluctant yet accepting all at once.

"Thanks you guys. You don't know how much this really means to me."

Within moments the jet started up again and in minutes they were in the mode of take-off. The sky had been clear enough that the clouds had given a picture perfect areal view of the lush green islands and blue water below.

***

The evening prior to his departure from the seemingly endless slum district of Bangkok, Vega had phoned his agent Ricardo Galvan Ibarra, expressing concerns over his need for a career boost. Though this particular notion was actually far from his mind, he knew he had to give some sort of leeway into his own reasoning. In turn he apologized for his initial reaction to the movie suggestion, and stated his wishes to convene in the project.

Ibarra was sharp witted, and because he had known Vega for so long, he initially questioned the sudden and initial spark of interest on the whole movie idea. He knew it wasn't customary for someone such as Vega to change his mind, over anything.

Vega however didn't relent in his quest for deception to achieve in his ultimate and rather selfish goal. Off the top of his head he prepared a rather dramatic speech over how he needed to connect more with the surroundings and people around him. He told Ibarra that he no longer wanted to portray himself as the idol that many of his adoring fans seemed to interpret him as. Instead he wanted to come across as a human being who had possessed thoughts, feelings, and emotions; someone who was real; who had real life aches, pains, and exceeding triumph. His words were so convincing that Vega had halfway believed his own story.

During their time in conversation, Ibarra had fallen silent, perhaps to absorb the farced emotion that be believed was truly felt from his speech. The reason was good and he turned to like the idea even more. It didn't take much more convincing from Vega for his agent to finally agree once more to the idea.

Ibarra informed Vega that there had been indeed one young man that he had met months ago on his travels during the original concept stage of the movie idea. He apparently favored Vega quite a bit and Ibarra originally hadn't informed him about this find because he knew he would not be interested. It was funny how Ibarra had known so him well, for he certainly wasn't interested. If he hadn't been placed in this absurd juncture with Shadowlaw, he still would not have cared. It was for the sake of circumstance that he had allowed Ibarra to continue in his explanation.

Vega learned the young man was a commoner from the mountains, within the convoluted border of Spain and France, deep within the Pyrenees' Mountains. Like Vega he had fair lengthy hair, a slenderized structure and green eyes. To Vega he was nothing; just a mere poet, artist and actor struggling to make ends meet. Having been so caught up in the detail of conversation, Vega almost wanted Ibarra to change his mind and find someone more worthy of portraying him. Yet and still he knew this man would be the one to die in his place. Therefore it really hadn't mattered after all.

Upon arriving at the strait of Gibraltar, a call listed as private on the caller ID came in on his cell phone. As he was weary from the long travels, he did not want to answer it, but curiously found himself doing so. Perhaps in the back of his mind, he had hoped it was Chun-Li.

"I hope you got my messages regarding the Spanish embassy" the calm yet tense traced voice of Bison spoke from the other line. This was the last person he wanted to hear from.

Vega smiled, yet didn't answer him right away. Bison's level of composed pretentiousness toward him was rather amusing. If only he'd known what was truly unfolding just beneath the surface.

"When I saw what you did to those men there in my medical center, and how you aided the escape of some of my prized fighters I was a bit confused Mr. Cerda. I just didn't understand the reason for your intentions. But then I did some more research… My findings were quite interesting to say the least…" Bison's tone was patronizing.

Vega had more important things to do in the moment. It was time to make a move on his next plan of action and he had no time left for such ridiculousness.

"Ryu Hoshi and Ken Masters, friends of this so-called girl named Mei-Lin Chai, a supposed college student from Malaysia. Not actually her name we found out, the woman we put you against in the ring was actually Chun-Li Xiang, only daughter of the late detective Dorai. While deliciously interesting as this was, we did a bit more in depth piecing together…"

"Go on…" Vega finally said impatiently in sharp a tone of defiance.

"We sent you in there to get to know that family; to get to know Dorai and his precious daughter for purpose of killing them. Wouldn't it be so interesting to guess that the child she is now pregnant with is actually your child? My assumption is that you got too close…" He laughed humorlessly. "While your actions of saving them are noble indeed Mr. Cerda, Shadowlaw finds that you will be too much of a liability from this point forward."

"And perhaps if you had been less careless in your unorganized approach to conquer and control, then perhaps I would not have overheard you speaking with the doctor that you practically murdered, about the whole operation." He replied in a matching tone of challenge.

Bison growled on the other line. "I'm disappointed to know that your allegiance to Shadowlaw was all a farce. All of our secrets revealed, all of the drug injections administered to maintain your shallow and irrelevant wishes of eternal youth. This is how you would repay us."

"Please!" He admonished disdainfully. "I could have cared less all along,"

Bison again growled. "When I find you, I will do more to you than just slice that pretty face of yours to ribbons!" he said bitterly. "Oh yes, and if you had the law in mind to protect you, I would definitely think again. There's no stopping me, you're dead Vega just remember that!"

"Just try." Vega said nonchalantly. After all, he held no intentions of even contacting law enforcement. Why would he? "If you expect me to tremble in fear of you, please reconsider your rather delusional thought process." After executing a hearty mocking laugh he ended the call.

***

Chun-Li returned to the United States and was within her own process of trying to remain concealed from Shadowlaw when she got the news. The headlines on the CNN world news channel had displayed that Vega Fabio De Cerda, noble Baron of Catalonia and the most famous toreador in all of Spain was dead.

The report stated that his death resulted from an explosion in his Barcelona home. The number of fatalities totaled to eight to include him, his agent, and a number of servants on the property. There was evidence of attack and forced entry and from it, Vega had received a brunt of the attack; his body having been severely battered to death prior to the fiery destruction. Chun-Li and the others knew all too well that this was Shadowlaw's doing.

News of his death was followed by feelings of initial shock and disbelief. Then to her dismay there was sadness. She was sad for herself, and for the child inside of her. He had done some terrible things, but if it hadn't been for him, she could have only guessed where they would be. In the end he had, in a way, sacrificed his own life for her and her friends. For this she grew a new found respect for him.

"I don't understand." Ryu said somberly. "Why would he return to his house, if that's the first place they'd look?"

Ken appeared dumbfounded as he was unable to speak. He stared ahead lost in thought, perhaps thinking of the recent comments he made regarding his own desire to kill Vega. In all reality now, Chun-Li could have only guessed that he wished he hadn't ever said those words.

"The news report said that the explosion didn't happen at his main estate. Apparently he had more than one." Chun-Li replied.

"Shadowlaw must have enough manpower to track every location they knew he lived." Ken finally spoke in. He then closed his eyes and lowered his head. "Man, what a bad scene."

Eliza, who had since joined them upon their return, comforted Ken. "Don't beat yourself up over it honey, you didn't do anything wrong. And thank God you all are alright. Could you imagine what could have happened to you guys if you had stayed with him? You're lucky you separated when you did!"

"Yeah, I know. But then you also can't take back what you say either." He said.

Ryu looked to Chun-Li that time. "Are you going to be alright?"

She forged a smile. "Sure I'll be fine."

That night after the others had gone to sleep; Chun-Li was left in the solitude of her thoughts. It was in that state of mind that she found herself weeping bitterly for him.


	9. Morbid Humility

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

**Morbid Humility**

So sad it was that they all had to die like they did. All of those innocent lives taken in the wake of Bison's ravaged destruction; his agent, his long time employees, and the young man; the one young artist now in death, actor believed to have been Vega; the one who had unknowingly sacrificed his life.

Surely fortune had shined upon him in a crowned grace. The plan had fallen perfectly into place and Vega marveled in the superiority of his own sheer genius. This had indeed proved that beauty would prevail in all things.

He remained there at the entrance way of his condo-rental, recapping on the events which had previously unfolded.

After Bison's menacing and rather annoying message all those days ago, he had called his now dead agent Ibarra with instructions to bring the young man in his accompaniment at a specified date and time at his rural estate just outside of Amposta Spain, located at the south eastern corner of Catalonia. With strict and precise instructions, he urged Ricardo to inform no one of what was transpiring. Vega reasoned that it would be for purposes of keeping the information from the media until clear details were laid out. The young artist had been urged to do the same.

From there he had contacted his head servant, Mr. Botella to inform him of his coming to the Amposta location with his agent, and to arrange to have there servants out there to make preparations for their arrival. This would give off the appearance that he himself would be arriving to his estate with Ibarra and not his double. The intelligence behind the plan was unsurpassed.

For the time being, Vega rented an upscale condo under a falsified name near the public beach in Barcelona. The cash he had in his possession would be the cash he'd have to live on for the time being. All access to his money for obvious reasons was off limits to him, as the public had assumed him to be dead.

On his way back to Spain from Bangkok, he had traveled through Morocco. In Ceuta, he had his long blonde hair colored to a dark shade of auburn, and his green eyes changed to blue. The change was oddly strange, but yet and still he was beautiful as always.

He made his way into the condo; the place was rather large for what would be expected. Having been built in the early 1900's and then restored just ten years prior, the high ceilings, detailed crown molding and large slider doors between each room still gave the condo an old and empty feel. To top it off, the 18th century stylized antique furniture that sat in the parlor off the entrance way further contributed to the atmosphere.

Vega closed the door to the main entrance behind him, its echo stirred the dreary quiet that seemed to emanate within the place. As he made his own way inside, the scent of pine cleaner lifted in his nostrils to suggest that a housekeeper had been by. How nice of them, he thought wryly.

It didn't take long for him to spot out the large portrait-sized mirror that took up a large portion of wall within the hallway. Vega placed his belongings where they were and approached his reflection with the typical excitement he had always felt. How was it even earthly possible to be this beautiful?

There was something in seeing his own face made him light with pleasure, at times even heavily aroused sexually, for he had never seen anything more beautiful in the entire world than the sight of his own face. While in front of a mirror he would often be lost for hours in self admiration. This time however, accounting for the small bruises which had been scattered throughout his cheek bones and temples, in addition to the now crimson discoloration of his left eyeball from his fighting match with Chun-Li, his face was temporarily less than perfect and this disturbed him. And it was not only that, there was something else that brought him at a strange unease.

Vega studied over his eyebrows, his hairline and the spill of his long, now colored, brown hair that followed. He traced his fingers down the gracefully defined bridge of his nose, then his nostrils, as well as his bruised cheeks. With his other hand, he brushed his fingers over his lips, bringing his thumb and forefinger down to cup his well chiseled chin. Then finally he met his eyes. His thick eye lashes had curled to give way to such a pretty pair of eyes. Yet somehow in that moment they haunted him.

He reviewed himself carefully, all expression formed in the midst of his self-admiration faded, for there had been a flash of something unfamiliarly recognized deep within his retinas, something swimming just below the surface that did not belong. Before him his face slowly began to take change. The eyes that gazed back at him were now the eyes of a crazed man, inhuman and staring wide-eyed in an unknown ravenously obsessed excitement with a mouth that now peeled back in an accompanied broad grin. Rows of razor sharp teeth, like that of a piranha, lined either side of the mouth.

Vega let out a gasp looking away from his reflection in surprised horror. He frantically touched his face and felt his own teeth then bent down against the nearby wall to catch his breath. The rise of fear still flowed fresh through him as his heart pounded almost audibly against his chest. Leaning there against the wall, he attempted to regain some sort of composure, and with just enough mustered courage he turned once more to gaze into the mirror.

Wild in-humanistic eyes and piranha-like grins no longer met him in a stare of crazed challenge. His reflection was back to normal as there was only his face once more. Thoughts still in an irrational composure, he could only find himself thinking of the beast in his dream; the one that tore viciously away at him in a ravenous feast.

Vega shuddered and let out an oppressed sigh. The sight of his face like that stirred up a state of unrest within his psyche. He uneasily made his way down the corridor in front of him, his own footsteps echoed on the hard wood floors. The end of the hallway spilled out into a very formal dining room, complete with all the appropriate items one would find within. To his left was a large eat-in kitchen, and to his right had been another doorway that led into a very technically savvy entertainment room. He stepped inside looking around, mind not really focusing on what was before him, but on the disturbing image he had just seen prior in the mirror. Just beyond the entertainment room was a large master bedroom with a connecting adjacent bathroom.

Vega placed his belongings into his temporary bedroom, showered and dressed in clean clothes. He had hoped that the shower would have smoothed out his frayed nerves, but it didn't, instead it seemed to put him on a much further edge.

While the place had been comfortable and well suited for him to stay temporarily, he found that he was restless. The silence was more daunting now than it had ever been. He needed an escape, for without it the darkness would creep in further, and he feared in the back of his mind, the beast, whatever it had been, would return for him.

That was when he decided he needed to leave. In an attempt to escape from the dreary darkness that this place seemed to emanate, Vega found the keys to the Saab rental on a hook inside of the hallway entrance closet. On his way out of the front door, he made sure he avoided the mirror.

With shades over his eyes, in an effort to conceal his identity, Vega drove through various sections of the city with no particular purpose in mind, he simply drove. The situation he had created with Shadowlaw, while necessary had put him at an inconvenience. Ken and Ryu had been in his way for one thing, and he had been too caught up in idea of getting Chun-Li out of there at the time and had been unable to think of anything else. Looking back on it now, he should have disposed of them when he had the chance. The lack of control he had over the entire situation only angered him.

Then there was the absence of stress, which for any normal person it would have typically been there. He remembered what stress had felt like, the unpleasantness, the pain, the worry, and above all the fear. Vega should have felt all those things but didn't. As a child, those feelings had been a relentless and ever present notion within his life at an almost consistent rate. Complacent fatherly roles would have even attested for that if they had still been around. His mother beautiful as she was had been his angel who in the tone of her voice, an uplifting spoken word, a touching hand of comfort, or a solving result behind her actions was the only person to make it all go away in an instant. Truly she had been the only person who had ever loved him the way he himself had wanted to be loved. She defended him when no one else could or even would. The remedy of her pure sweet endeavor was all he had needed in one time to live, an exemplary face and figure of what real beauty was. When she died, so did he, gone from existence to give way to an empty and guiltless shell of a man. So hollow that he didn't even realize the shortcoming of his own debilitation.

Vega suddenly decided that he wanted to buy her flowers. Since she had crossed his mind, it had only seemed fitting to do so. He wasn't sure when he could visit her again, for soon he knew he would have to leave Spain for a period of time and the occasion of the matter had called for it.

On his way to the cemetery, he stopped at a nearby florist shop to find a beautiful array of white gardenias. In life they had been her favorite, always keeping a fresh vase of them in just about every room in their home. Because of this, the very smell of them reminded him of only of her.

An old man in his mid eighties, waited for him from behind the counter and so from out of the refrigeration unit, Vega brought the flowers to him to make the payment

While totaling the costs, the old man eyed him through thick framed bifocals curiously. Though he said nothing at first, Vega was beginning to suspect he had been spotted. The old man had seemed to purposely take his time preparing the flower arrangement. Bounding the stems together, he wrapped them in a while silk ribbon and slowly presented them. Vega nodded in approval, paid the amount that needed to be paid and proceeded to leave. On his way out, the man behind the counter asked him if he had been the bullfighter from the news.

Vega wanted to ignore him, and perhaps should have. The fear of being discovered weighed on him, as the suspicion began to creep in. Instead he turned to mock the old man calling him a fool, saying that he had been greatly mistaken, for the new reports had indicated that matador had in fact died. Then without another word he promptly left the shop. Peeling wheels in the Saab, he hurriedly sped off.

The Sant Andreu cemetery was located in the hearted center of Barcelona. The place attracted hundreds of tourists during the day due to the exquisite structure of the various crypts and mausoleums, as well as the beautiful larger than life sized stone sculptures of biblical saints, the Virgin Mother with the infant Jesus, and more popularly angels of various sorts and poses.

The Cerda family Crypt was the largest freestanding mausoleum in the cemetery. After his father's surprising suicide, his mother had unfortunately remarried, and then due to the circumstances surrounding her own death, Vega's paternal grandparents saw to it that she be placed in the family tomb where she had appropriately belonged in the first place. Her married name, the name of his stepfather had been stripped from her title, through a bit of legal manipulation string pulling.

It was after 6:00 and by this time the cemetery was closed off to tourists. In after hours the place was, for the most part, empty. Because of his family's status in Catalonia, Vega was granted access at all hours through the use of an access key still in his possession. There was no time like now, for soon the charred remains of his double would be occupying this very crypt alongside his relatives. A spark of jealously had actually flared within over this notion.

Off in the western sky, the sun was beginning to set. He parked the car and with flowers in hand he walked through a side entrance of the mortuary. The sculptures in their various stances next to the stack of appropriate crypts and grave plots, leered at him, their shadows casting even larger and seemingly more sinister silhouettes against the stone walls.

Vega climbed a set of stone steps up the hill towards the family crypt. He had been there a countless number of times in the past that navigation was almost like a second nature. The rectangular shaped building was made of a white marble; edges were molded in a Greek-like structure with a series of cascading pillars along the outside wall. Above the entrance, the family name had been etched at the very top of the archway just above.

He unlocked the iron gate with a set of keys in his possession and made his way inside the large stone structure. As it was expected the crypt was at a still silence. Light from the setting sun outside poured through the tiny windows of the first level, partially illuminating the marble enclosed caskets of his dead ancestors. He removed the shades from over his face and hastily made his way forward, coming to a set of stairs that had descended lengthily further down underground.

Out of all of the other mausoleums in the cemetery, his family's crypt had been the only one electrically wired with time generated lights in the subsection of the crypt. He saw to that project just three years ago, when stumbling around in the dark during the afterhours had become difficult to do. Now as he descended into the lower levels, the atmospheric dim lights lit his path where it hadn't before.

On the lower level of the mausoleum he passed by shelves of stacked crypts on either side of him. They reminded Vega of large filing cabinets that contained the remains of more relatives that he had never known nor even remotely heard of.

His mother's tomb lay just ahead of him off to the right in a smaller and more personalized room. He entered through the narrow archway as a large stone sculpture of a winged female angel came within his line of vision. Standing there, head bowed eyes closed in an eternal stance of solace frozen prayer, she seemed to watch over his parents as they lay there in their freestanding marble tombs.

In addition to this particular room, the entire crypt was clean, having been well maintained by the cemetery's grounds keepers, and the place did not look as though it was well over one hundred years old.

Vega kissed his hand, gestured the sign of the cross over himself and touched the top of the marble vault that enclosed his mother. As he had done a countless number of times, he seated himself on the vaults surface and looked down to scan his eyes over the information etched into the marble. In Catalán, it read:

_María Isabel de la Cerda, Nascut Doce de Octubre, va morir dissetè mes de juliol. L'edat de trenta-dos. Amant esposa i mare, presa massa aviat i s'ha anat a estar amb el Senyor Jesús, la Verge Mare, i els seus àngels. _

In English, this text literally translated to: "Maria Isabella De Cerda, Born October twelfth, and Died July seventeenth. Age thirty-two. Loving wife and mother, taken too soon and gone to be with the Lord Jesus, the Virgin Mother, and his Angels." To read this would be for him to reach the realization that his mother had actually been taken from him. Though it had been ten years it seemed like only yesterday.

Placing the flowers on the tomb's surface in front of him he sighed heavily. If only he could see her again. It would not have been too much to ask of God, who was the enabler of all things for just one more gaze upon her lovely face; upon the woman who had given him life, and so unwillingly left him in death.

Vega stretched himself fully across the top of her tomb, and laid there. The heaviness of despair rapidly began to mount within him. After so many years he had forgotten what this feeling had felt like. If only could he lay his head against her bosom, and tell her how much he adored her one more time. Face now fully upon the cold marble surface now, he closed his eyes asking God to grant his request, and after several minutes of waiting, and wishing, and asking, there was nothing.

Disappointed in the lack of response, Vega finally stood. He looked down at where he had just previously laid feeling utterly foolish. Now angry with himself he proceeded to leave. Yet when his eyes scanned his mother's epitaph, a thought came to his mind.

His father being physically unattractive as he was had also been a cruel and callous man in his life. He was weak, and his lack of control over his much stronger and passionately beautiful wife, his finances, as well as his own sanity had lead to his demise. At the age of nine Vega found him in his study, one eye gouged by the ripping shot of a self-inflicted bullet. A large portion of the back of his head missing from the powerful impact of the exit wound. He had looked even uglier in death than he had in life. In his nine year old mind, and even yet and still today, Vega knew that his father's demise was well deserved.

His step-father Romano Javier Gustav, having been just as ugly, if not uglier stole his mother away just after his tenth birthday. His insecurities, ill-temper, and irrationally jealous fits were what had lead to his downfall. When he was fifteen, Romano, out of a spiteful and jealous rage choked the very life out of his mother, who was pregnant at the time. When Vega buried that sword through his anger contorted throat, he knew justice had been served. In death, much like his father, he remembered Romano's hideous stare. It was a gaze that had probably looked over the very depths of hell during the transition between this life and the next. The killing of one of God's own saints had surely been a crime above all crimes and the punishment far greater.

In those two scenarios Vega learned at an early age that the ugly things of this world were cursed with the pain of ravage and destruction. While as seen with his mother, the strength of beauty was enduring; for Maria Isabella, looked just as beautiful in death as she had in life. He remembered her appearance as she laid there in a seemingly peaceful slumber, her curled blonde hair laid feathered around her pretty face. All bruises and traces of the struggle she had with Romano had been successfully removed by the mortician who worked on her. Coming to a conclusion, Vega rationalized in his own mind that even in death, beauty was forever.

He studied the crevices of the vault over carefully, detailing every line, crease and corner to its exact rudiments. Then in the unthinkable, he steadied his stance gripped the edge of the vault's lid in one hand, and the corner with the other, he proceeded to push the vault open. It didn't budge from place.

Coming down to his knees, he looked over and saw where the lid met the rest of the encasing, realizing that an interior ridge in the vaults slab was what had ultimately held the two pieces in place, fitting together much like a puzzle. This time he lifted the vault's lid from an upward angle. His broken ribs ached terribly in the process, but he adamantly continued through the severe ache and pain. After several minutes of trying by using all of the strength he could, he managed to create an opening in top right corner of the tomb by offsetting the ridges as he slid the lid over from out of place. The marble was heavy, terribly heavy but he was able to stir it from his place.

Vega took a minute to catch his breath, so much effort had been applied that he had already broken a sweat. He held his aching side, and momentarily waited for the pain to try and subside. As his heart rate was composed he studied over the small hole that was created. Through the darkness that had enveloped in the encasing, he could see the edge of the casket in which his mother laid. From what he could even see in it, time had certainly been easy upon it. He continued in his effort of removing the remainder of the vault lid away from the encasing. Now that the ridges no longer fit in place, maneuvering the lid had been much easier.

With less effort, he slid the lid of the vault entirely away from the contained enclosure. Where the tombs had originally been so close to each other, Vega used his father's tomb as a provided leverage to uphold the tombs cover that he had moved. His mother's off white colored casket glimmered against the dimly lit light.

From behind him, though her eyes had been shut, he felt as though the marble stone angel was watching every move he made.

If this had been the only way in which he could see her again then so be it. Surprised that it had overall been relatively easy in accessing her this way, Vega took the entire process as a sign. Perhaps his prayer to God had indeed been answered after all.

It had taken him a few moments more to figure out how to actually open the casket, for the hinged cover would not merely come undone by sheer lifting. Moving his fingers down along the side he found a small nodule where the lid would have gave way to open. A loud click sounded as the release valve gave way.

Vega gave no time to prepare himself for the disappointing sight that he would see before his eyes. The desire to see her face had been prevalent in a mind that was littered with impatience. He lifted the casket lid upward and then only frowned at what he saw inside.

The ten years of time had indeed done no justice to the once beautiful image that his mother portrayed to him in the years she was alive. Her corpse lay there, shrunken, discolored, and desiccated. The sight had far surpassed the mode of heart shatter.

In a typical and civilly well rationalized mind Vega knew all too well the process that a typical body took as it had begun its various stages of decomposition, yet in a mind savagely influenced by ridiculous delusion he was positive that his mother's beauty would have surely in its accompanied strength withstood the organic process of rotting away. There was strength in beauty right? Surely beauty had withstood in strength, while ugly waned in weakness. He just didn't know anymore.

He studied her over again slowly, trying to convince himself in his own thought process that this body wasn't her. He remembered the way she looked on the day they had buried her. The white dress she wore, had now turned a yellowish brown with discolor, beautiful blonde hair arrayed around her face had become matted, wired, frayed; and has he attempted to run his fingers through it, as he done many times before, it broke apart in his hands and came out in large sections. Her once beautiful face feminized curved cheeks, supple lips, and straight nose had all now withered away to dried flesh and exposed bone. Resting eyes shrank down into large pitted sockets. It was like the grinning face of death had tauntingly revealed its true nature to him that evening and it was certainly not kind to anyone, even the beautiful.

This blow had seemed like an utter defeat and was the hardest thing he had ever come to realize. It impacted the very core of him so strong that he had to sit down. Vega placed himself on the ground next to the tomb which once held a beautiful woman. Looking downward he stared at his hands. Not even his unsurpassed beauty could escape the corruptible clutches of death, for these hands too would someday also rot away into dust and bone. So then he asked himself, what was it all for? Was there purpose at all?

In such a despondent frame of mind, he spotted the fresh gardenias he had brought for his mother lying there on the stone floor of the crypt. They must've fallen during his laboring process of discovering the disappointment. He picked them up and studied them over in his hands. The petals were so large, fresh and full of life. Having been cut at the stem they, being still beautiful in death, had only but a short time to remain in that manner, for they too would also waste away.

Vega stood, gathered his bit of outward composure and peered once more over the opened casket, gazing at the corrupted corpse that was once his mother. He removed the chained beaded rosary from her dried bony clutches and attempted to replace them with the fresh stemmed gardenias. Though as beautiful as the flowers were, they did no justice to her the image of her deterioration.

He took in one more gaze at her, trying to find at least one trace of familiarity. When it didn't seem like he would, Vega gave another sign of the cross and then shut the casket down over her without much more incident. He placed the beaded rosary in the jacket of his blazer, and proceeded in the very laborious task of pushing the large marble slab of the tomb lid back in its place over the casket.

The task was completed after several minutes. In a mood still heavily influenced by the disturbing sight he had just seen, Vega exited the family crypt, face drawn in exhaustion from the ordeal. He reluctantly stepped out into the now night sky, back into the reality of his rather uncertain circumstance.

_***This is the end of Part One***_


	10. Five Months Later

**PART II**

**Intentions of the Heart**

**CHAPTER NINE**

**Five Months Later**

The laboratory that was located in Thailand held terrible secrets, and for reasons of the obvious, it was kept underground away from eyes that would bring scrutiny as well as a false defined sense of justice. Just north east of Bangkok, hidden within the overgrown brush of lush jungle and vine, situated within a rocky plateau, and just below the very old and crumbling structure of a large monastery stone Buddha statue, was the Shadowlaw headquarters.

General M. Bison pondered on the events that happened over the past five months. The severe and damaging blow brought on from the now dead agent Dorai Xiang, had made them a target of constant watch and surveillance by Interpol, but he could outwit the enemy. Months after hosting one of many fighting tournaments, Bison had even been successful in gathering numerous amounts of fighters from around the globe. Fighters who had produced a variety of superior skills had in turn uncovered an essential necessity; and with Shadowlaw's control, the excellence was even greater. Yet even this notion did not quench Bison's satisfaction, for yet and still he knew that those fighters he wanted most were not in his obtainable grasp. He had to find them, for time was valuable.

He would not settle for seconds for there was no such thing as second best. Those in second always succumbed to the shadows of the ones first in line. Those first gave influence and had power over this world, while seconds were mere failures; invisible. Seconds do not exist in the eyes of the masses, and he would not be invisible anymore.

Ryu Hoshi, Ken Masters, and Chun-Li Xiang, had wittingly escaped all those months ago. Ryu, with his uncanny and almost in-humanistic fighting capabilities was valued above the rest. Anyone who could defeat Sagat in the manner he did was certainly in a prioritized regard. In fact they all in their own right were exceptional beyond a certain air of comparison.

Still after months of searching the globe they all had still managed to remain obscured. Shadowlaw's dwindling status had certainly not helped, for it had been more difficult to locate where they might have been.

That wretched Vega, that scum of the earth, he had been the one; of all people to have thrown a wrench in such a very vital and crucial plan. It was a relief to know that he was now dead. In that fateful day months prior, Bison had sent his top operational henchman, a former boxing champion by the name of Mike Balrog, out to lead a raid on one of the Bullfighter's prestigious estate in Amposta Spain. It hadn't been Vega's main estate, the Castle De Maria Isabel in Barcelona, and unfortunately this fatal mistake had cost the bullfighter his own life. He had assumed Shadowlaw would be tracing the castle and not any of his other property. Therefore it was obvious that Vega lacked any tact or intelligence. Bison figured through that display of events it was that the only thing he may have had going for him were probably his good looks. Or perhaps it had been that he was overly confident. The highly vain and very narcissistic fool could probably not have seen past himself to even consider what Bison would do. In the long run it proved to be a waste.

Before the seaside Amposta villa was consumed in the fiery explosion, Bison wanted to first ensure that the matador would suffer greatly. As the young man had such a ridiculous obsession with his face, it was only suitable to have that go first. Balrog later reported that he and his men had put up with a fight from security upon raiding the estate. Yet when he immediately found Vega, he let him have it by striking his face to a point where he was unrecognizable, knocking teeth out in the process. What had left Bison confused was Vega's inability to fight back during the attack on his face. The entire process was suspiciously too easily. It had seemed so unlike him to react in such a manner. Regardless now, the job was done, Vega was dead and all trace of evidence was purportedly destroyed in the fire. It was just one less thing to worry about.

What was important now was getting those skilled fighters back into his possession at whatever cost. They were the key, for his quest to be first in the world. Following Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li and Vega's escape from the medical center, Bison ordered the place to be immediately shutdown, all operations and projects transferred to the main headquarters. Their supposed knowledge in as to what was going on was too much of a risk, and this notion had proven to be accurate. Not even a week after their departure and with just enough evidence from informants, did a group of law enforcement agents, sent by Interpol come in and raid the location. Fortunately everything had been removed just in time for them to turn up nothing. Bison was uncertain as to who had actually tipped off Interpol to such information but the answer would not be too difficult to figure out.

It was absolutely maddening, this need for control; this insatiable desire. Without it, his purpose in life was questioned. This constant streamlining avidity was an increasing realization, so much so that Bison found himself lost in a hunger gone unsatisfied. He began to even believe his inner man was no longer a driving force behind it. It was something else. Something much more powerful and more sinister than even he had ever fathomed being, and he welcomed it with open and gracious arms, allowing himself to be just a mere vessel that channeled the dark essence of corrupted consistency. In this inner power he could do all things and this force seemed to confirm this notion; it was a part of him. Someday, he would hearken the day when the world would realize just how almighty he really was. He envisioned it, the masses bowing before him in worshipful appreciation.

Coming from his thoughts in that moment, he gazed down at her as she laid there on the observation table in a smaller room located off of the main sector of the large laboratory. With his gloved hand Bison gently caressed her scarred cheek in a manner that appeared to be of genuine affection. Yet in all appearances, this action merely resulted out of a pride built into the work that was put into her. He was proud of the accomplishments. What she had come to be had solely been a concept of his pure genius. In instance of itself it had epitomized his personalized and twisted perception of pulchritude.

In a life once surrounded by the standards of normalcy, her name had been Cammy White. Months ago, during the time of her capture she had been an agent serving on the United Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Service MI-6 on a special operations force known as Delta Red. Cammy along with her teammates had been assigned on the case to investigate, or rather scrutinize Shadowlaw's activity in and around England. Though as small as she had been size, he saw something within her that had deemed importance. Her passion on the case, personality, persistence, integrity and strength created a convincing awareness inside of Bison that helped him to recognize that he needed her. Though manipulated through a mind controlled force; she would prove to be a valuable asset to Shadowlaw in the coming months.

Right after her disappearance, her fellow agents at MI-6's S.I.S. performed a search so controlled and an investigation that was so thorough that they were dishearteningly dismayed when nothing turned. Due to their lack of knowledge on Shadowlaw at the time Cammy went missing, the agents with Delta Red had no inkling of a clue on where she might have been. Without a substantial amount of information on the case they had been investigating, they would find only dead ends in their series of searches.

Cammy fought diligently for her freedom at first, she threatened Bison, promising him that her comrades would indeed come find her and ultimately destroy him and his organization. The way she clawed at him, spat in his face, and cursed his name only fueled his anger. And in that moment, his concentrated and convoluted power which coursed through had taken precedent as he forcefully struck her just under the chin. She lay there still, jaw broken from the forceful blow. The scar she developed later had initially come from the section of her broken jaw bone which had in turn protruded from her face. Bison at first was afraid he had killed her out of his loss of control. Yet she came through just in time to have scientists treat her severe injury and thus prepare her for her ultimate purpose.

Her initial role had been to be a test subject for their ongoing research in an adequately funded program known as the C.H.I.M.P. project. This ironic acronym stood for the Controlled Human Integration Manipulation Project. Out of his own twisted and dark sense of humor, Bison founded this title to coincide his feelings for his test subjects. Though human, Bison could only regard each and every one of his experiments as mere chimpanzees, for many of them, mostly being bums pulled from the dark and filthy crevices of Bangkok, could not have possibly been human in their own right.

After a long string of disappointments, failures, semi-failures and wasted potential, Cammy came to be the one to come through as the first of many to respond well to the integration and signalized treatment of the C.H.I.M.P. project. Her skills attained through MI-6 along with the mind controlled direction given by Shadowlaw, this girl had been a treasured asset, carrying out many of the ordered assassinations; a perfect killing machine.

A tiny electronic device, no bigger than the size of the U.S currency dime, had been placed at the base of her skull. Attached to the small device were a series of tiny fiber optic wires connecting and cross rooting to the areas of the brain that deemed appropriate. Having been connected to the temporal lobe, the part of the brain that contained the hippocampus, a regulator of memory, Bison was able to have all of her previous life instances erased from her mind, all while maintaining everything obtained from MI-6 still in tack.

The drawback to this intricate process was that additional steps needed to be interred to ensure that Cammy would never remember. It was theorized by his scientists that as the tissue regenerated around the foreign objects of the wires, slight recollections in her in memory would abound. Since their interjection of the C.H.I.M.P. chip, scientists have been able to estimate that this particular regeneration treatment was required for the girl approximately every three months.

The C.H.I.M.P. device not only regulated and controlled the in and outflow of memories, it had also been wired into the limbic system, an intricate part of the nervous system that regulated emotion. Shadowlaw scientists found that through a series of pre-additional tests, that this same device would manually control one's emotion.

With the finalized wiring of the C.H.I.M.P. chip, and after years of research, the finalized product was implanted into Cammy. Bison found that he had full control of what she thought, how she felt, and her recollection of memories. It was marvelous. Despite the inconvenience brought in up keeping her, and the small amount of brain damage it was causing long-term, she had been perfect none-the-less.

Previous projects, Cammy's predecessors had not been so lucky, many of the earlier specimens used in the concept stage had either died, ended up blind, deaf, or contracted other forms of damage that they were inoperable and thus later disposed.

As Cammy lay there, having come out of a recent process of administered treatment, he spoke to her. "Wake up number 001A prototype agent Killer Bee."

With the voice command configured in the device, her lifeless and almost robotic-like eyes opened, as she spoke in a voice traced with monotone. "Agent Killer Bee online and reporting..."

Bison turned to regard the other scientists out in the lab, speaking in a loud audible voice he said, "Bring in Mike Balrog at once!"

"Yes Sir!" one of the technicians obliged, as he ran out of the room and in beyond the corridors of the large underground structure.

Within minutes, his henchman Michael Balrog approached the room his broad and hulking six foot five stature stood in the archway of the opened room off of the main lab. His mood appeared morose, as if expecting chastisement for his recent failures, in his inability to locate Ryu, Ken and Chun-Li. He greeted Bison with the respect he deserved and seemed to wait for whatever punishment he imagined he would be receiving.

Already aware of his misdeeds, Bison said. "I need an updated status on the three. Where are they? Are there any leads?"

Balrog closed his eyes and bowed, when doing so in the contrast of the dimly lit room and his dark skin, he appeared to be nothing more than a large shapeless shadow. "No sir Boss." His deep gruff voice spoke. "But I would, if I could interject for just a moment, tell you about our new approach in trying to locate them."

Bison was silent for several moments. He wanted to give Balrog just enough time to further marinate in his nervousness until he would start to sweat. Finally he spoke, "Go on…"

"With some research from our intelligence team, we was able to find some key spots on where Ryu, Ken, and that girl could eventually show up. Looks like when they heard we was after them, Dalton Masters got his own security crew and had himself, his wife, his son, and the other two hidden real well. The Masters estate is empty, but who's to say they won't show up there after a while. We got some guys out there to stake out the place…"

Bison was displeased at such a despicable approach but he let Balrog finish his ridiculous spiel. Meanwhile Cammy remained in a blank stare, seemingly waiting for further instructions.

"Also got some agents out there watching the air force Major's place out in Queens New York. We know the girl's father was real close with him, and she may turn up there at some point. We also got some people following her friend that movie star Fei Long, as well as her aunt and little cousin who live out in Hong Kong. If you want sir we could bring them all in for questioning and demand that they tell us where they are."

Bison shook his head. "No… not yet at least. Because we're under such close watch by Interpol right now, it would be best to involve as little as possible. Getting more people in and stirred over this affair would only prove to be quite careless. We need to be on guard in whatever we do. Besides that, do you know of any reported contacts that Chun-Li, Ryu, or Ken might have made to any of these locales?"

"Not certain sir, since we had all those cutback's we haven't been funded with enough equipment to wire tap any of the phone systems."

"So they could have easy slipped through our fingers then!?" Bison half shouted, "This is maddeningly ridiculous!"

Balrog looked to the ground that time.

"That's all you have?" Bison asked. "This is rather disappointing indeed…"

"I know boss but we're working on it."

"Once you have more leads, I want you to take Cammy with you to help get the job done."

"Yes sir."

Bison turned to Cammy, and as he stroked her scarred cheek, said "I'll have an assigned project for you soon enough number 001A…"

"Confirmed…" Cammy simply said.

As Balrog was dismissed to leave, Bison said one more thing. "Oh, and Balrog… I expect some real results to be reported next time, or I can't make myself personally responsible for what I will do to you…"

***

Within her sixth month of pregnancy, Chun-Li was nearing the end of her second trimester. Other than the pervasive effect of morning sickness, a standard accompaniment in her first four months, everything had been just fine. She was healthy and so was the child that was developing inside her body. Her abdomen by this time had distended out beyond its normal range just enough to make her condition obvious to those who might not have known originally. Where most women were left with joy and excitement brought on by a pregnancy, Chun-Li found that even after all these months of coping with the news, she was afraid and still very uncertain as to what the future would hold for her.

Her friends had been so gracious as to remain by her side during the transition that Chun-Li didn't know where she would have been without them. In the last five months after their narrow escape from Shadowlaw, the three of them had taken refuge along the California coast in a small town called Anchor Bay that was located along the route one shoreline highway, about one hundred fifty miles north of San Francisco. It was a small quaint town that seemed to remain in its own captured time of the 1940s. Whenever Chun-Li had pictured California, this had certainly not been what she had envisioned. It was beautiful however, an all encompassing and captivating effect of serenity, and peacefulness. A picturesque setting of Victorian styled homes, old trees, and a gorgeous view of the Pacific.

It was Ken's father who had arranged the placement. After getting word on what had happened with Shadowlaw, he had his security company contact the federal law enforcement officials to inform them on what had taken place. While the investigation was underway, Mr. Masters had his own personal security team place Ken, Chun-Li, Ryu, and in addition Eliza, securely into a modest beach house along the shore. Of course Ken had heavily protested to this arrangement, for he disliked the idea of having to constantly be watched and closely monitored when he was fully capable of taking care of himself.

This arranged security set-up was well organized regardless of how Ken felt. Once a month, a government cleared physician had been arranged to come in and see Chun-Li to monitor her condition. So far all had been well with her pregnancy. Even though she had endured several wounds from her fight with Vega previously, it hadn't posed any risk or threat to her or the child's health long-term.

Two weeks before the Thanksgiving Holiday, Guile and Julia contacted Chun-Li on her phone. Because of Julia's relation with her younger sister Eliza, they were already well aware of the predicament that the four of them had been in. Just a week prior, Julia had just given birth to a set of twins. Not wanting to find out the sex of their children prior, Julia and Guile were happily surprised to find that they had been blessed with both a boy they named Nathan, and a girl they named Leanne.

"How you holding up kid?" Guile casually asked her. Neither he nor Julia had been made aware of her own pregnancy, or anything about the knowledge of who had killed her father.

"Holding up okay," she replied, "congratulations on the new editions!"

It was obvious to Chun-Li now, that she had been placed on speaker phone when she heard Julia say, "Thanks. They are precious little angels"

"Who do nothing but sleep, eat, cry, and poop, with plenty of sleepless nights to tack onto that." Guile added sarcastically.

"I bet they're adorable."

"That's about all they are." He muttered.

"Will, you know you love them!" Julia said, her jesting tone had matched his.

"Yeah, well… any more leads on Shadowlaw?" He asked her.

"None at this moment."

"Well if it's not too much trouble, we wanted to see if you all could come out here to New York for Thanksgiving." Julia suggested cheerfully. "I've already discussed it with Ken and Eliza and they're fine with it."

Forgetting about her pregnancy in that moment, Chun-Li found herself saying, "Sure, I'd like that."

"It will be fun, and remember you guys are more than welcomed to stay as long as you'd like."

"Thanks. Anymore traces of Shadowlaw-related drug trade activity on the military bases?" She asked Guile.

"Nah, they took me off that case for now, Interpol has been conducting an all out investigation since the huge raid that your Father lead off. Things have been coming together but they still haven't found out the person behind it. With the information you guys gave them, something should pan out soon huh?"

"Let's hope so. I just want to put this behind me."

"Well that makes two of us." Guile said.

After Chun-Li ended her call with Julia and Guile, a knock came at the closed door of the provided bedroom she had been staying

"It's open."

Ryu poked his head through the door frame before coming in.

"Hey," she said quietly. She remembered his subtle declaration of feelings all those months ago, and how since that time nothing else had transpired from it. It wasn't as if he was no longer interested, because she knew that he still certainly was. Yet Chun-Li felt as though he was reevaluating the situation, perhaps to anticipate another approach of trying to win her over. She found that the fatherly-older brotherly role he had taken with her previously was starting to give way to something more along the lines of a friend. A friend was what she needed above anything else. And perhaps Ryu had finally come to realize that.

Instead of immediately replying, he came into her room and sat down beside her on the bed.

Chun-Li shifted her own weight to accommodate him.

"Are you feeling okay today?" Chun-Li found that he would ask her that a lot; more than once a day at least.

"As well as I'll ever be, I guess." She said uneventfully. Her eyes lowered to the floor at loss on what to say next.

Because of Eliza's presence in the house, Ken had spent most of his time one on one with her during the day. This left Chun-Li and Ryu alone most of the time and she wasn't exactly sure how to feel about that. In fact, at that point she really wasn't sure how to feel about Ryu period.

Usually in the evenings, with body guards and security agents not too far away from reach, the four of them would gather for dinner. It was either Chun-Li or Eliza who would alternate turns on cooking, and every once in a while Ryu or Ken would take the spot-light as chef and cook their own rendition of a meal. However that had proven to be quite disastrous at times.

The way of living they had come to know was not ideal, but at least they were safe from whatever threat was posed out there. Dalton Masters, Ken's father was generous, and though Chun-Li hadn't ever gotten a chance to meet him in person, she could tell he was well equipped with intelligence, money, and enough tact to out-wit Shadowlaw. Because his company had been so large and prosperous, keeping him and Fujiko, Ken's mother, in the spot-light of the public eye, would have posed a huge risk. He must've figured Shadowlaw would have certainly targeted him if not for his fortune, then for his life.

"Did Ken tell you about the plans at Guile's house for Thanksgiving?" Chun-Li found herself asking him.

"Yeah he mentioned it. I'm not so sure though."

"Well I just got off the phone with both Guile and Julia. I think Ken and Eliza were up for going. Julia is Eliza's sister after all."

"They didn't tell us."

"Maybe they just spoke with them like I did." Chun-Li said giving them the benefit of doubt. "Anchor Bay is beautiful, and I love our own little private beach here, but it would nice for once to have a change of scenery."

"True, but what type of risk would we be running by going out to the east coast. Would Ken's dad even go for it?"

Chun-Li shook her head. She wasn't sure. "I'm sure if we take enough security precautions, it could be done. Even so, who's to say that Shadowlaw is even still after us? It's been almost six months and nothing's happened. No threats of any sort where we are concerned."

"You're right, but we should still remain on guard."

Before she could respond, Chun-Li felt the child inside of her suddenly and forcefully shift in a jerking motion. The suddenness of the action caught her off guard, that she gripped her stomach and let out a cry of surprise.

Ryu promptly stood, his demeanor changed to a look of heightened concern. "What's wrong!?" He demanded. "Is it the baby? Are you going into labor?"

Still clutching her abdomen Chun-Li began to laugh, further confusing him. "No! The baby just suddenly changed directions in me and I was caught off guard. Nothing to panic over, I'm not in labor." She laughed more.

His tense stance softened as he scratched his head uneasily. "Oh…"

The child continued to roll around within her. Chun-Li grabbed his wrist and brought his hand to her stomach, where she held it there. "Here, feel. The baby's just trying to get more comfortable…"

Ryu jumped in surprise at the feel of an elbow, possibly a leg, a foot, or any other part of the body bumped against his touch. "Wow, that's amazing." His brown eyes met her that time. "Life is so curiously amazing."

Never letting go of his wrist, she said, "It is…"

"And to think we all started in a place like here…"

As the child, unaware of the world outside, continued to roll around in the safe haven of her womb, Chun-Li and Ryu stared at one another moments more. The events that were unfolding would later prove to be even more awkward and confusing as time passed on.


	11. Heart of the Matter

**CHAPTER TEN**

**Heart of the Matter**

The travel to New York was longer than anticipated. Ken had convinced his father that there was no need for additional security on the trip; and because there had been no immediate threat posed by Shadowlaw in the past several months, Dalton Masters hadn't seen any reason for there to be any additional protection as well. Yet for security reasons connected to their already established arrangement in California, the trip that Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li and Eliza were on needed to be broken down into two separate trips. Ken's father gained permission, through personal connections he had in the Military, to have the first flight they were on land in the air yard at the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso Texas. A second jet arrived just hours later to bring them to their destination in New York.

They landed at the Fort Hamilton Army base air yard right at the lower portion of New York City, on the evening before Thanksgiving. As was expected the late November weather was cold, customary for that time of year. Before leaving, the four of them had made sure to bring plenty of warm clothing.

Upon their exit, Ken said. "Why did we have to go through all of this just for some Thanksgiving dinner? Was it really worth all that?"

"Yes it was!" Eliza argued back, as she shoved Ken along in front of her. "Julia's my sister and I haven't seen her in a while. Show a little respect"

Ken raised his hand in protest as he laughed. "Yes I know, I was just joking baby..."

Guile stood waiting for them in front of a brand new minivan parked beyond the entrance to the base.

"You traded in your car?" Chun-Li called as she approached him. Due to the cold November weather, the coat she wore had concealed her pregnancy. She had remained nervous over how she would eventually break the news to both Guile and Julia. The thought hadn't occurred to her until recently that she would have to eventually tell them while there in New York and because of that she almost didn't want to even come.

"Yeah…" Guile said with a reluctant sigh. "I have three kids now. We had to make room. But there was no way my Jeep Wrangler was going anywhere, so… I'm going to miss that Mustang."

"You sold that classic?" Ken cried in disbelief. "Over the Jeep?"

Guile nodded sadly as he patted the black shiny hood of the Honda Odyssey. "Yep, sure did. You wouldn't understand Ken. That Jeep means more than that Mustang ever tried to."

"Yeah I sure don't understand." Ken admonished with a scoff.

Guile approached Chun-Li. "Nice to see you kid. You look well." In that instant he hugged her. It was very unlike Guile, but since her father's death, his outlook toward her had probably changed. Chun-Li made sure to keep the embrace short and sweet, out of fear that he would discover the telltale bump in her belly.

"Hey Will…" Eliza said shyly as she too hugged Guile, "Great to see you." Then looking around, she said, "Where's Julia?"

"She's waiting at home with the kids." Guile replied. He turned to acknowledge Ken and Ryu in a civil handshake, and then opened the sliding doors of the van to allow them access inside "We've got about a forty minute drive so we should get going."

Guile lived in a modest two story older style stone front house at the south part of Queens in New York City. With holiday traffic it had taken a lot longer than just the forty minutes that he originally speculated.

He pulled the Honda Odyssey van onto the concrete driveway, parking the vehicle next to his black Jeep Wrangler just under the carport connected to the rear entrance of the house. Having view of the backyard, Chun-Li could see that it was well fenced in, with a complete playground set for their daughter Amy. Everything appeared safe, but because of the recent string of events, Chun-Li wasn't completely certain.

They made their way inside through the rear porch entrance, coming through the laundry room and into the kitchen. Despite the obvious age on the home, everything had been newly restored and remodeled. The aroma of dinner cooking on the stove filled her nostrils to stir her appetite. The house was warm and cozy, very contrary to the outside weather, and though she had never stepped foot into Guile's house, she already felt at home.

Julia entered into the kitchen to openly greet everyone. She wore a kitchen apron over her clothing and Chun-Li could see how fabulous she looked even after giving birth to twins. She would only hope that her shape returned to her once her time came.

After greeting Eliza and Ken with hellos and hugs, she made her way to Chun-Li. "It's so great to see you guys. How are you lady?"

Chun-Li smiled. She had forgotten how much she liked Julia and truly connected with her. After her father's passing, Julia had been the one who had brought Chun-Li comfort, and was selfless in trying to show as much love as she could in her dark time. Because of that, Chun-Li couldn't thank or appreciate her enough. "I'm well," She said, "a little tired, but well."

"Well you guys know the deal. My home is your home, so please relax here." She said.

Ryu looked to Ken. "Let's go get our stuff while the girls settle in."

"Sure." Ken said, and followed Ryu as they made their way back outdoors toward the van.

In the nearby distance, the sound of a barking dog was heard above them. It finally made its way from upstairs into the kitchen to greet them as well. He was a red and white colored short haired Jack Russell terrier that seemed to have rocket springs built into his paws as he hurriedly ran towards them. Trailing closely close behind the fast animal was Guile and Julia's eight year old daughter Amy.

"I thought I told you to keep him put away while we had company!?" Guile sharply demanded.

"I tried," she protested in a whiney tone. "He just got away from me!"

"I'll bet he did." Guile grumbled, disbelieving her version of the story. "Say hello to Chun-Li and your Aunt Eliza. They're going to be here for Thanksgiving."

Amy smiled shyly at them, and in turn Chun-Li waved back.

"How's my niece?" Eliza asked as she beckoned the girl to her side.

"Great now that you're here!" Amy said running into her embrace.

Guile looked down at the dog who by now had been jumping up to Chun-Li's knees curiously. "This is Sub."

"There's a funny story behind his name actually." Julia said with a chuckle. "The day we got him from the breeder, William here picked him up…."

"Yeah," Guile muttered as he recalled the series of events, "And when I put him in the back seat to take him home, this little eight week old pup got into some subs that I picked up for dinner that night. Of course after I had gotten my mouth set and ready for that steak and cheese, I was pissed to find that he had sneakily eaten them all. He threw-up all over me afterwards, and that about did it. I wanted to take the little monster back where he came from."

Julia added, "But then I ordered Chinese takeout, Will was fine again and Sub didn't have to be sent back to the puppy farm."

Sub cocked his head to the side at Guile obviously aware that he had been the topic of conversation. Chun-Li knelt down to pet the dog and he licked her fingers in response to her friendly gesture.

By now Ken and Ryu had made their way into the house with their luggage.

"Where do you want this stuff?" Ken asked Julia.

"Well I put you guys in the two extra guest rooms. Chun-Li can stay in Amy's room while she's here." Julia said turning to Chun-Li. "I hope that's okay."

"It's fine." Chun-Li obliged, and then looked to Amy, "As long as she doesn't mind me using her room."

"You can use my room. I don't care." The girl said.

"That's because she gets to camp out in the computer room." Guile said. "She'll be in technology heaven tonight."

"I told her no computer after ten." Julia said sternly. "She and I talked about that already."

"Where are my new niece and nephew by the way?" Eliza asked. "I want to see them!"

"They're upstairs in our room sleeping; you can come up if you want to see them. Ken, you and Ryu follow me upstairs, I'll show you where to put the bags."

Eliza turned to her. "You want to see the babies?"

"I'll be up in a minute." Chun-Li found herself saying. So as to not give her condition away too quickly, she didn't want to appear readily eager.

After they had all disappeared upstairs, Chun-Li remained with Guile, while Sub the dog still remained by her side.

"You look different somehow." Guile said to her matter of factly.

A sense of dread overcame her. How could he have figured it out so quickly? "How do I look different?" She asked.

Guile stared at her carefully. Then looking her over a few times more said, "You know, I don't know. It's something. It's like yer glowing. Maybe it's because I haven't seen you in a while."

"Maybe," She simply said.

Guile turned and headed over to open the fridge where he began drinking the milk straight from the jug. "Don't tell Julia I just did that. She'll have a fit."

***

In the dining room later at dinner, milk was served alongside a helping of beef stew and vegetables. While everyone gladly accepted that for their beverage, Chun-Li politely declined and instead requested water. As Julia stood to accommodate her glass, Guile looked at her from the across the table knowingly and winked.

Julia returned from the kitchen with her glass of water and placed it in front of her. "Chun-Li, girl you can take off your coat and stay a while at least." She joked. Julia held out her hand. "Now let me take your coat so you can eat. You've got to be roasting in that thing!"

The time was obviously now for them to know. She reluctantly began to unbutton her coat, and found that Ryu was watching her; an unreadable expression was across his face. Removing her coat entirely, she let out a sigh.

Julia took the coat from her hand, and immediately left the room. When she returned to the dining, she stopped in her tracks and looked at Chun-Li now noting the condition she was so desperately trying to conceal. A look of obvious surprise had crossed her face.

Chun-Li found that she couldn't look at her in that moment, and braced herself for the next string of events.

"Wow! So was this your surprise? Is this why you wouldn't take off your coat?" she asked happily. How could Chun-Li have expected Julia to react any other way but positive?

"Well I…" Chun-Li began softly.

"What?" Guile asked from across the table. "What is it?"

Julia smiled. "Look who's expecting a baby." She said cheerfully.

Guile looked up at Chun-Li warily no form of reaction had been present in his expression. Now silent he looked down at his plate and continued eating moments more.

Julia patted her on the shoulder smiling in an attempt to bring down the semi tense atmosphere. "Do you have a due date? Do you know anything about it?"

"Well… I've had a doctor come and check me once a month. They're estimating the end of February sometime."

"Children are such a blessing. They really are. Oh now Nathan and Leanne will have a playmate. This is wonderful."

"Yeah doesn't she look so cute?" Eliza asked. "I can't wait to see the baby."

"She does! Now eat up, you need your energy, believe me!" Julia said as she made her way back to her seat.

Guile's eye met her from across the way again. Finally he said, "So who's the father?"

"Man, you don't know what type of information you'll be allowing your ears to hear Guile." Ken said bitterly. "This poor girl has been through so much and…"

"Ken please…" Eliza intervened quietly.

Guile eyed both Ken and Eliza questionably, and then he looked to Chun-Li again in an attempt to find an answer. When she had none, he looked to Ryu who also remained silent. "Will someone just enlighten me to what the hell is going on? Who is the father?"

"Vega…" Chun-Li finally said.

"That matador from Spain? We saw the reports about him on the news all those months ago. He was murdered or something, killed in an arsenal explosion." He shook his head regretfully. "I'm sorry kid…"

"Just a bad scene, the whole thing was." Ken said somberly.

"Huh?" Guile stared at him. "You obviously got something to add, so what is it?"

"Guile, we found out later that Vega was working for Shadowlaw…" Chun-Li interjected before Ken had a chance to speak. Since part of the story was out, the rest should have been. "It's a long story but you should probably know everything that has happened and how we got ourselves into this situation."

"Clearly…" Guile simply stated. "How you managed to get knocked up by a Shadowlaw affiliate is beyond me… And I don't mean to speak so ill of the dead, but I told you I didn't trust the guy to begin with"

"Yes and I know now that I should have listened to you, but I guess I was so enamored by his charm and looks that I didn't even listen to my own instincts…" She frowned. Summarizing her actions in her own words didn't make her feel much at ease about the situation. "Vega was a hired assassin by Shadowlaw who was called in to murder my father. After my graduation party, Vega left and had gone his own way, while I went out with Ken and the others."

"So that's the reason why he didn't want to come out with us the night of your graduation." Ken said, putting two and two together. "He had the perfect opportunity to go after Dorai. That makes sense now."

Guile pushed his plate aside, no longer having an appetite. He stressfully brushed his hand over his face in an attempt to come to grips with what he just heard.

"That night while we were driving, I suddenly didn't feel well and I had Ken drive me home." Chun-Li continued.

"Because your instincts were going off... You felt something was wrong didn't you?" Ryu asked stepping in that time.

Chun-Li nodded, and as she recalled the next scene tears began to brim her eyes. "My father and I just had that intuitive connection I guess. But even after all of that I was still too late… I walked in to find father on the floor, dying… and someone else there… an intruder. He wore a mask so I couldn't see his face, but he had this identifying tattoo of a serpent across his torso."

"Vega…" Ken spoke in again. "That's how he looked at the tournament too."

Guile put his hand up in protest. "Okay so time out…" He then looked over to his young daughter and said, "I think you need to dismiss yourself from the table young lady. This is adult conversation that you have no business hearing."

"But I'm not finished my food!" she cried.

"March!" Guild demanded, "Right now! I want no lip."

With great reluctance the girl got up from her seat and promptly disappeared from the room.

Guile waited until she was gone to ask, "So how did you manage to get pregnant in all of this?"

"I didn't realize he killed my father until the night after the funeral…" Chun-Li continued to explain.

"That's the evening I called your house and you had him over. I see now."

"Yes, we had dinner. I guess he wanted something that I wouldn't give him… I thought he was okay with it. He said he respected my morals but… he must've slipped a date rape drug into my drink…"

"What!?" Guile cried. "You mean he…"

"Yes… I don't think he gave me much. I remember waking up to find him on top of me… That's when I saw the tattoo and I knew he had been the one"

"Wow we didn't realize all of it unfolded that way for you." Ryu said astonished.

"How awful…" Julia spoke in somberly in a pained expression. She came to Chun-Li's side to comfort her. "This whole thing is just terrible, really. I'm so sorry honey. I really am."

"Damn… This is unbelievable." Guile said, pounding his fist against his hand. "I just can't believe that. After all you've been through. Only someone without a soul could pull something like that off. So he killed Dorai why didn't he just try to kill Chun-Li off as well?"

"He didn't kill her because he became obsessed with her there." Ken explained. "Then on top of that he actually saw no fault for doing it. Oh yes, the story isn't over by a long shot we ran into Vega again in Bangkok."

"Ken's dad got this flyer for a fighting tournament in Bangkok. I guess they were requesting him to be one of their sponsors. So the three of us decided on a whim to go out there and enter." Chun-Li continued. "After winning so many fights, they put me in the arena against Vega himself. I won but was injured so they hospitalized me. It was there that the doctor told me I was pregnant."

"I don't get it. Why didn't you tell Julia or me?" Guile asked, his expression changed to that of someone genuinely hurt and concerned. "I know we're not blood, but I consider you family all the same."

Chun-Li found herself shrugging. "I guess I felt too ashamed of what happened."

"But it wasn't your fault." Julia insisted. "Really, it wasn't. But you need to know and recognize that the child inside of you is still a blessing.

Everyone nodded in an agreed unison on her behalf.

"So what happened next?" Guile finally asked after a brief silence. "Why was Vega killed?

"Well there was this doctor who came in one night. He was really strange and he said he wanted to put Chun-Li under for surgery." Ryu explained that time. "They left to prep and had already given Chun-Li drugs to go under. When they didn't return right back I checked the hall to find that Vega had murdered them." He then proceeded to explain to them about how Vega had helped them to escape the place after explaining Shadowlaw's interest in all of them.

"So after doing what he did to Chun-Li he turned around and saved you all?" Guile asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah," Ken stepped in, "He said he overhead Shadowlaw's leader and the Doctor that worked on Chun-Li talking, and he must've known about her pregnancy from there, which is probably why he wanted to save her."

"Oh so the man without a soul suddenly gets a heart. Now that's an oxymoron in itself." Guile said sarcastically. "Did he tell you anything else about Shadowlaw? Any information we could pass onto Interpol?"

Chun-Li shrugged. "Not really. I was out most of the time, but Vega used the aid of the Spanish embassy over there to help us escape, and the place got bombed right after that. Shadowlaw wasn't joking"

"Yeah we heard about that too." Guile said looking to Julia. "I didn't realize this was connected to you. Shadowlaw must have heavy dealings over there as well."

"And we already passed on all the information we could onto Interpol about Shadowlaw. Vega told us it was run by a man named Bison, who's apparently been concealed this whole time."

Julia gasped, and then looked over to her husband as if suddenly realizing an important detail. "Will that's the man… That's the man who had something to do with Charlie's disappearance. Remember? Remember the last thing Charlie said to you before he went missing?"

"I remember that!" Eliza cried. "That was a few years ago wasn't it? I bet that's the same guy"

Guile was at lost for words. He shook his head contemplatively, not knowing how to compose himself within the next few moments. "I mean… That makes sense. Why didn't I put any of this together?"

From what Chun-Li had been told by her father, Charles Nash had been Guiles best friend, who had served alongside him in the military. Having been stationed in Vietnam at the time, Dorai explained that Charlie had been captured by a group of terrorists running illegal weapon trades throughout the countryside. The leader of the group at the time had been a man by the name of Bison. She too had heard of him, and why she didn't make a connection until now was beyond her.

The silence in the room was static, as shock from the news of this equation had seemed to absorb throughout. Guile forcefully pounded his fist in anger on the table top causing Sub the dog, who had been sitting under the table waiting for spilled food to dart out in a startled fit. He looked to Chun-Li again. "So what else did that guy tell you all? Was he trying to give away Shadowlaw secrets or something? Did he let on where they are located?"

"No he didn't," she simply said.

"And now he's dead. Shadowlaw got to him before Interpol could." Guile said regretfully. "This is just terrible."

Chun-Li only sighed.

"I know what Vega did was wrong." Ryu began, "And I wouldn't ever wish death upon anyone. It's just too bad Interpol hadn't gotten to him first; he would have been a valuable asset to have in the process of prosecuting that syndicate."

"This whole thing is so nuts that it belongs in some dark circus somewhere." Guile muttered somberly. He looked to Chun-Li. "And you're pregnant with a child, fathered by the same man who killed your own father. What an awful scenario. Please know that were here for you girl, we mean it."

During the silence in that moment, the cry of week old infants could be heard over the baby monitor system that Julia kept in the kitchen. She sighed, "I can see it now, they'll be up all night this time."

"Great…" Guile said in a farced tone of cheer. "At least there's no work tomorrow."

"But you still need to help me get that turkey in at five am," Julia added, turning to Chun-Li now, she said. "You need to come get some practice time in, so follow me upstairs and see how the process goes."

Chun-Li smiled as she stood to follow her. "Okay…"

The infants were tiny; so very tiny. They shared one bassinet that was stationed in Julia and Guile's room and were so small that Chun-Li found she was too nervous and afraid to hold them. As Julia placed the baby girl Leanne into her arms, Chun-Li awkwardly tried to steady her small head at the bend of her arm. The infant gurgled and squirmed in her embrace in attempts to either find food, comfort or both.

"They're precious Julia," She admonished.

"I know it's hard to believe they came from me. Or from Will and I rather…" She fed and rocked Nathan. Looking down a Chun-Li's own distended abdomen, she asked, "So you're about six months along. Do you know if you're having a boy or girl?"

"No… I didn't want to find out. Until I know what I'm going to do, it's just best not to get attached right now."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure if I want to keep this child or not. I'm just afraid… that's all."

"Something you need to pray about. You'll find your answer…"

"Right." Chun-Li found a little more ease in holding Leanne, after she received the bottle. While she drank, she found that the baby had drifted off to sleep once more. "Wow that was easy."

"It's easy now because they sleep so much at this age. I can just only imagine how they'll be as they get older and more active."

"Ah but you have a loving husband and daughter to help you with that, correct?"

Julia's face contorted to a sarcastic disdain. "Please… William can't even pick up is underwear off the floor, let alone get up in the middle of the night to help feed them. Amy tries, but she's still too young to do a lot of the stuff that I need"

"Maybe that's why God gave women to ability to multitask and withstand the physical and mental pains of stress." Chun-Li suggested.

"It sounds more obvious than not."

***

The remainder of the evening's events had proved to be uneventful. Around 10 pm, Amy was placed on the pullout couch that accompanied the computer room in small lofted space on the third floor. Prior to that Julia had fed, changed and put the babies to bed for the night, not expecting to hear from them again until that inevitable three am wake-up call. Once the kids were in bed, the five of them sat in the downstairs den to continue in their conversation on Shadowlaw. It was obvious now that the search for Bison had become more of a reawakened personal vendetta for Guile where his friend Charlie was concerned. Having the name of the crime syndicates leader fresh on his mind, stirred up some rather heavy feelings that he may have forgotten he had. Chun-Li saw how this notion worried Julia.

She learned that Charlie's disappearance all those years ago, made Guile vengeance obsessed, thus placing a strain on his marriage with his wife. For a little over a year he had left her and young Amy alone while on a quest to find him as well as Bison, the man believed to have been responsible. Charlie's body was never found, and the only things to have surfaced were his dog tags. His family accepted the items as closure on his death, handing them over to Guile, who still wasn't convinced. Realizing the neglect that he had inflicted upon his family, Guile returned to them, the turmoil he held inside remained dormant but never fully settled.

It wasn't until twelve midnight that they had all retried to bed. Chun-Li shut the door behind her and looked inside to see than Ryu had placed her things accordingly on Amy's pink and white spreadsheet on the double bed. She found the room was in concise typicality for an eight year old girl. Flower patterned wall paper, a tall glass display case showing off a collection of dolls, and a large collection of books on a white hip-level bookcase next to her closet. Julia said she liked to read, and this was obvious.

Placing her suitcase on the ground, Chun-Li changed into a nightgown and attempted to settle down in the freshly washed pink sheets under the covers. They smelled of Gain, her favorite scent. Not readily sleepy as she first thought she may have been, she began to think of the entire events that had unfolded thus far. She thought of her father Dorai, and the child she carried, which had currently begun to move around inside of her. The uncertainty of it all again made her very afraid. And in that mindset of fear she began to think of God.

Chun-Li had an idea that the despondent state of her mind lately had probably caused her to lose focus on what should have mattered most. That was her relationship with God. Since Dorai's death, the example he set before her as a good and faithful Christian, no longer applied to her life and she found that the walk in her faith began to go astray. She found it had left her spiritually weak and perhaps if she had continued in her effort for God, maybe her life circumstances would have been easier to bear. Perhaps the hardening of her bitter heart would have remained tender, and the hatred and anger she felt towards the people of Shadowlaw would have easily made room for a healing forgiveness.

Chun-Li had indeed realized this notion, but the reality of actually exercising this good faith of feelings had certainly been easier said than done. In that moment she found herself praying. She prayed for this whole ordeal with Shadowlaw to come to an end, while fervently asking God to allow herself in her mind to gain some sort of peace in her heart as well as the ability to forgive the people who created the entire damaging trauma brought against her. She also prayed for the health of her unborn child, asking for the consensus of a decision over whether she should keep this baby or give it up for adoption. Either way, coming to a final consensus would be difficult.

She lingered on for minutes, allowing the sheer and righteous essence she felt, to marinate through her broken heart and wounded spirit and after a while the effects of sleep began to take hold of her. Chun-Li returned to bed and switched off the light, within moments she was sleeping; the darkness around her enveloped to give way into a whole other world of dreams.

At sometime in the night, she awoke again to the seemingly incessant sound of her ringing cell phone. The loud melodious tone sounded from where it was left charged on Amy's desk across the room. As she looked up, the glowing digitalized Hello Kitty alarm clock read: 3:51, making her wonder who it was. At any other point in time, if someone had called her at such an odd hour of the night, she would have left the phone to remain there to finish out the rest of its tune. However Chun-Li didn't want to allow it to wake any of the others in the house and she found herself stumbling across the room in a mode of half-sleep.

The display on the caller ID revealed an exchange of numbers, that she didn't remotely recognize, confused and still in a state of half-induced sleep, she answered the phone. "H-Hello?"

There came no immediate answer and when she called out again, a vaguely familiar and tired voice, said, "Hello beautiful lady. Please don't hang up."

Chun-Li paused wondering if she were still within the effects of a dream.

"Are you there?" Vega called to her. "Would you grace me with your lovely voice?"

Lost for word, her voice caught in her throat in a surprised gasp. Perhaps she had still been in a dream. She just had to be dreaming.

"It's alright…" His voice was filled with assurance. "Don't be alarmed."

Finding the words that had initially lodged in her throat, she said, "You're supposed to be dead… how? How are you here…How is it possible?"

"Please don't concern yourself with that my love… I am alive. That is all you need to know right now…"

Chun-Li began to feel the sharp sting of anger toward the very man who had brought all this darkness into her life. All trace of respect for him immediately began to dissipate, for he had been lying, the deceptiveness of his actions had now far outweighed whatever positive feelings she had felt for him. In that instant, she felt her hand began to close the phone casing shut.

"Please don't hang up," he called again as if sensing her intention, "I wasn't clear if this was still your number. It has been so long, and with everything that had transpired, I would have thought for sure you had changed it. On a whim however I called, and here you are." There was something different in his voice. His tone had almost a flat and dead undertone, the voice of one who had endured so much stress to the point of tensed complacency. Chun-Li could see right through his attempts in sounding like the typical conceited and pretentious man she had come to know. With her unfettered senses, she knew something had happened in his disfavor. "I know," He continued, "I know I promised to come back to you…"

"That's quite alright." She said sternly cutting his words. "I'm fine where I am, with my friends…" As he fell silent from the brashness of her tone, she continued. "What do you want? Why are you calling me?"

"To see if you were alright," He explained. There was no haughtiness present in his voice to match her disdain as expected. "Tell me, how is the baby; my son or daughter?"

Chun-Li again wanted to hang up the phone. He was playing a game. A game of whit, and she knew it. He was reversing the tables to feign integrity. Her feelings rampaged beneath the surface. Yet in that moment, a thought that was not her own crossed her mind. _Be at Peace_.

It was so much effort to be at peace now in that time, but regardless she felt the inflow of that calm within, and relented in her ill feelings to answer his question. "I'm alright, we've been in hiding, like you, but everything is fine. The baby is well, and growing."

"I'm happy to hear that." He said quietly.

There was a brief silence over the line, and Chun-Li found herself saying, "I can't pretend Vega. I just can't. After all you've done to me. All of the pain I've felt. I cannot pretend like everything is okay. Plus you lied. How is it that you could fake your own death and deceive everyone? In all honesty I really want to hate you!"

"Well if you want to hate me then, do so." He began with a small laugh, but then as if finally having a moment of self-awareness, he went on to say. "But please know this was all done for you." There was a momentary pause. "Forgiveness is a daunting task, is it not? So very difficult… such a laborious process we must take to rid ourselves of the poison we let creep into our hearts. So it's easier to hate someone, than it is to forgive them." He sighed, "You will see an end result of that when you look at me my lovely; a stone black heart which has hardened through the numbing pains of this cruel world." He was quiet again, as if contemplating on what to say next. "What I can ask of you is my forgiveness where those actions are concerned. I will admit I was wrong and I know it will not bring back your beloved father but perhaps your heart will become clear with the inevitable release it will feel… And please know that I held much respect for Mr. Xiang; believe me when I say this…"

It was amazing to hear how similar the principality of his words had been, compared to the words spoken in the dream she had about her father Dorai. Chun-Li found that she was shaking her head in disbelief upon hearing them. She didn't understand. She just didn't understand, for it was obvious that his mind had operated contrarily to her own. Tears now streaming down her face she spoke, "I can't even attempt to understand you. How can you say you hold respect for someone, but then murder them in cold blood? You said you cared about me, you say you still do, yet you took away the most important person to me in my entire life." Chun-Li didn't want him to hear her cry, yet her voice broke with a strained emotion. "On top of that you violated me; you took something sacred from me; something that I never gave you in the first place; something that I can never get back. Why? Where is your heart?"

His laugh was shallow. Vega remained quiet on the line for several moments as if to truly marinate on what was spoken. Chun-Li wanted him to feel some sense of remorse, to feel a deep seed of empathy for her as a result of his actions.

During her time spent at Colombia University, Chun-Li had taken various amounts of law enforcement related classes. One class in particular steadily focused upon the psychoanalytical profiling of criminals. Based on her study of Vega, gathered by her interaction thus far it was quite clear that she had been dealing with a typical psychopath. One, who lacked any moralistic sense of wrongdoing, possessed no regret, devoid of remorse, and overall lived without a conscience. They lived on toying with their victim's emotions, always playing mind games that left the heart empty and lives shattered, much like her own. If there had even been a running stream of emotion, they would have been feigned. Chun-Li in her own awareness of self could never fathom lacking such important attributes. Were they not what made one human?

Vega was so quiet at that point she was beginning to think that she had struck a chord upon some hidden nerve far within the crevices of his dark heart. Yet finally again he spoke, "No one has ever asked me that question before… and I almost cannot define its true meaning. Of course I have a heart. It is the muscle that beats deep within my chest to support life. It is the very thing that pounds rapidly when I anticipate seeing you, talking to you, or when I gaze upon your beautiful face. Yet and still my pretty, I know that is not the question you ask. It runs deeper than that…" He stopped to wait for a response from her. When she had none, he continued. "Your father's head was worth almost three million dollars and money is of my own quest for gain, because it adds to a vitality of power. And then when I saw you…" His voice trailed off. "God, when I saw you… I knew I needed to feel you, in whatever way I could. Your rejection was a blow, I could not be taken for a fool and I knew I must have you, not out of spite, but for again my gain…"

Chun-Li was ready to dismiss him as the textbook psychopath until he said something else to her. "And now a child is on the way, and this little twist of fate has become my turning point." Vega's voice was saddened. "I could not admit this to you or myself before beautiful, but when I got to know you and looked into those lovely brown eyes, something was awakened inside of me, something that I thought was long dead from the day I lost my mother."

"Life…" She finished. The words had seemed to come from out of nowhere. Regardless of the fact that she might have thought he was still toying with her mind, her words continued"…to be a walking dead man on this earth is not what was intended for you. It's an oxymoron that many live day to day. You have a purpose, and that must be realized…"

"This is exactly the reason…" he said in a distant and hushed tone. He had seemingly directed the words toward himself rather than her. Without incident, the line went dead.

Chun-Li stood there left in her own thoughts, over the words that had transpired in that strange conversation. The tiny developing child within her womb fluttered about aimlessly.


	12. A Time for Giving Thanks

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

**A Time for Giving Thanks**

The morning of Thanksgiving Day started in the traditional viewing of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Major William Guile had certainly preferred the live ABC channel coverage of the parade rather than NBC, CBS, or even FOX. Year after year he had come to find that the camera angles that ABC provided in their close-up on the Snoopy, Garfield and other character balloons had proven to be exceptional above the others.

His home smelled of the various dishes that were being prepped for this afternoon's festive and traditional dinner. His wife and sister-in-law had been up since five am that morning to begin. Guile was lucky Eliza was visiting. If she hadn't been he would not have been able to sleep in like he did.

There in the den, he sat holding his daughter Amy in one arm and his other daughter Leanne in the other. And as they watched on she inquisitively asked, "Daddy, have you really been watching this parade every year since you were a kid?"

Guile looked down at her warily. "What's that question supposed to mean?"

"I mean, you're pretty old, did they really have technology for all of this back in your day?"

Guile scoffed at her then chuckled. "You little turd, how old do you think I am?"

Amy joined in with her own giggle and jokingly replied. "Ancient! Like the days of King Tutankhamen!"

"I'm not that old, but I did watch these when I was a kid and the technology was there but not like it is today."

Baby Leanne squirmed some in her sleep, bringing her tiny fisted hand up by her pink capped head in a small stretch. Her twin brother Nathan had remained slumbering in the Kitchen seated in a brightly colored bouncy chair, with his mother and Aunt Eliza.

Before the birth of the twins, Julia had come up with the terrific idea of having each baby alternately assigned at all times to one parent, if it could be helped. The parent responsible had to respond to that baby's needs at all time. The idea worked well especially since the twins were so young and had slept so much at that stage in their development.

Guile shifted Leanne in his arms as Chun-Li walked into the den. She appeared troubled in her thoughts, but politely greeted them both wishing them a Happy Thanksgiving.

"You too, how are you feeling? Did you sleep well?" He asked her.

"Was my bed comfortable?" Amy chimed in.

Chun-Li smiled, but he could tell her mind had been on something else.

Guile regarded the cream colored armchair across from him, offering her a seat. "Why don't you sit down and watch the parade with us. It's a family tradition to watch it every year."

"No, it's just your tradition," Amy added sharply. She was such a forward and precocious little girl. Nothing she could really help; perhaps it was etched in her genetics to be that way. After all she had gotten it from him.

Chun-Li took a seat in the armchair slowly; her eyes were distant and appeared preoccupied with worry.

"Something wrong?" He asked. "You seem sorta, I dunno… off."

Chun-Li stared back warily, and then looked down. "Am I obvious?"

"Yeah well… It's not too hard to figure you out. Your expressions aren't difficult to read. I mean and then you come in here looking like the last rose of summer. Something's gotta be bothering you."

"What's wrong? Do you miss your dad?" Amy asked, in her eight year old method of showing concern. Guile looked down at his daughter as irritation began to rise within him. "What are you doing? That's no question to ask someone!"

"It's alright Guile… she was just trying to help. She doesn't know." Chun-Li interjected before things got carried away. She turned to Amy and said, "Yes sweetie I do miss my dad, but there are some other things bothering me at the moment. Do you mind going into the kitchen and helping your mom and Aunt Eliza out while I talk to your dad about them? I'll be there in just a minute to help out."

Amy simply nodded, smiled and then journeyed into the kitchen. Guile was amazed at how responsive she was to Chun-Li, and was even more dismayed at how he could never achieve the same results with her.

When she was gone Chun-Li peered at him knowingly. "Talking to her makes all the difference..."

"Are you suggesting that I don't already do that?" He didn't want to sound as defensive as he had come across.

Chun-Li smiled in attempts to counteract whatever words of disagreement might have been surfacing. "Well I haven't really seen you interact with your daughter much, but what I have seen, suggests that you talk _at_ her rather than talk _to_ her."

"Well she's only eight. She ain't capable of processing the things we process."

"You'd be surprised at how keenly aware they are of situations. You should be careful in how you talk to her. What you put into her now will determine what you get from her later on."

"Yeah sure, whatever Dr. Phil..." He said growing impatient. "So tell me what's going on with you?"

Chun-Li's gaze averted back to the situation that had currently seemed to trouble her mind. In an act that appeared to be sub-consciousness she rubbed her pregnant belly and looked off in a focus that was on her thoughts. Guile was beginning to feel like she had decided against saying anything at all. Just as the rise of impatience began to surface inside of him, she finally spoke. "I got a phone call last night, around four am."

"Who on earth would be calling you at such an hour?"

As their eyes met, she simply said, "Vega called me…"

Guile's eyes widened as he stared back at her. Somehow in the back of his mind he wasn't entirely surprised by what he heard, but on the other hand he wasn't sure. Vega had worked for Shadowlaw after all. He could have been highly capable of anything. Finally challenging her statement he asked, "You're telling me that he called at four am. Did the phone wake you, or were you already up?"

"I was sleeping when he called…"

"So you could have easily been dreaming about this then." He suggested.

Chun-Li shook her head. "No I wasn't. I know I wasn't, I was keeping the phone charged on Amy's desk across the room so that I could wake up once the alarm went off this morning."

To challenge her claim further he stared onward and continued, "Are you sure it was him?"

"Very sure, his voice is rather distinct."

"So if this was him, how did he manage to live through a supposed explosion?"

Chun-Li shook her head regretfully and stared down at her hands. "I don't know. He wouldn't tell me. He didn't really give me a lot of information. Where he was located… nothing..."

"Unless that wasn't him in the explosion…" Guile said. "But how in the world could he have pulled something like that off? What'd you guys talk about, anything important?"

Again Chun-Li shook her head. "It was strange… After getting over the initial shock of knowing that he was in fact alive, we talked about forgiveness. He then apologized to me… I don't know. He just didn't sound like himself…"

"But you said you knew it was his voice. So maybe it wasn't him then?" Guile again counteracted. He didn't want to make it difficult on her. That was never his intention; however she was claiming to know someone was alive when they were reported to be dead. On top of that this person had been a criminal associated with the highly sought after Shadowlaw, who it was known responsible for the death of a first class detective; therefore finding him, if he were in fact alive, would most likely prove to be difficult.

"No that's not what I meant. I know it was him. It was the tone, the whole demeanor of his voice that was different. If I could sum it up he sounded almost sad…"

Guile chuffed in opposition. "If that was him, he was probably trying to mess with your head or something. He'd be good at something like that."

Chun-Li sighed, perhaps thinking about what he had just said. "Yeah maybe he was…"

He repositioned Leanne in his arms while she still slept. "This whole thing's a mess. I swear. I will be glad when the Shadowlaw case has been closed and is forever over with."

Yet the more Guile thought about it, the more uncertain he was. After they had even just discussed the situation the previous night over dinner, the details about Vega and his connection to Chun-Li, he was beginning to think the saying: "speak of the devil and he shall appear" had a level of truth somewhere within. For it was all too coincidental not to be in one aspect.

Yet on another level he wasn't too convinced. It would surely be odd indeed if Vega, after they had discussed him just the night before would magically call in the dead of night and wake Chun-Li from her sleep. Typically in his own experience with dreams, Guile found himself dreaming about the things discussed or seen in the day prior. Why would this scenario be any different? They had just been talking about Vega. At this point in time it would be likely she had in fact been dreaming. This very rationalization came from knowing the details of what had actually happened to the young matador. How could he have pulled off such a stunt to fool such reliable news sources like CNN or Fox News? The funeral procession aired on television, casket in all showed that there had been indeed a body. There would be no reason for a cover up, and it wasn't as if this young man had enough power to pull off a death hoax. Or did he? Besides that, he knew what Chun-Li had gone through in the past several months, perhaps the dream could have stirred all of the built up tension and stress she had endured.

After the string of silence, she said, "So… What should we do?"

Guile shrugged looking away momentarily. He didn't want her tell her that he thought her story was highly unlikely, but there was always hope that he could be proven wrong. In the current scenario he remained unclear as to how likely that would be. "Well it would be hard to report something like this right now," he explained. "My best guess is to wait until he calls again"

Chun-Li stared at him somberly for a moment, her brown eyes searched his own until finally she said "You don't believe me do you?"

He closed his eyes and sighed. Were his expressions that readable?

"So you're just going to sit up here and patronize me, treat me like some crazy person by going along with me to act like you believe he's alive, when you really don't!?" He could now see that she was getting angry.

"Whoa, now hang on! Just calm down, I—"

"I can prove someone called me, last night!" Hastily she retrieved her cell phone from her pocket. "I've got the call log right here."

Guile had to brace himself for the rise of his own anger that he was beginning to feel. It didn't take much for his own temper to flare.

She set the opened phone before his eyes. When he took the phone from her hand he could see more readily the series of numbers across the screen. The numerical set was not concise with the exchanges in the United States. When he tried calling the number back this had confirmed what was just viewed. Whoever had called her phone contacted her from an out of country calling card, and therefore he was not able to get through. When he peered up at her again, she was standing over him. Her hands were on her hips as she stared at him with a glaring and belligerent defiance. From his own personal experience, Guile was well aware of the raging hormones that afflicted moody pregnant women. Chun-Li, who was usually so well mannered and sweet, was not exempt from this.

"This doesn't prove anything." He told her. "Now just sit down and cool your jets. For all we know it could have been someone from Shadowlaw messing with your head somehow."

Chun-Li snatched the phone from his grasp and set down again in the off white leather armchair. "Well whoever it was sure sounded a lot like him…" She continued to glare.

"I'd say if he calls again, let me know. Gee for my own sake, I'll help you get down to the bottom of this…"

Chun-Li looked upwards and in reluctance said, "Sure whatever…"

At that point Guile had the sinking suspicion she wasn't too happy with him. The look she had given him only moments ago had been the icy glare of death. A glacier in the Arctic Ocean could have shattered to pieces with her cutting eyes. In one respect her attitude had surprised him. But at least she hadn't turned her feelings into an outburst of violence. He had this much to be thankful for.

***

He found himself in the family mausoleum standing there in the doorway of the room which held the tomb of his parents. The large praying figure, head bowed in the frozen stance of prayer, stood there before him in her usual position as the permanent and angelic guardian of his parents remains. Somehow in that moment, seeing her the way he did, the impression came that she was expecting him, and for that very reason, there was the sudden and rather creepy expectation that she would suddenly speak, open her eyes, or even move. He had even braced himself for that odd possibility, yet there she remained, ever in her frozen solace.

Maria Isabella De Cerda's opened marble tomb seemed to lay in an exaggerated several feet beyond from where he stood. The lid to the vault enclosure had been removed, and was laid across the surface of his father's undisturbed crypt. From where he stood it was noted that the casket was opened and to him, the arrangement seemed to be a silent invitation to come forth and gaze upon her once more.

Vega was unclear as to why and how he was there and he knew he didn't want to go any further. His stomach turned over with dread at the thought of resting his eyes over her again. Though the experience had been several months ago the pain and disappointment felt had still lingered heavily upon him.

Still it was as if his legs had their own mind, he walked a lengthy and seemingly endless walk toward the opened encasement of her casket. His strong unwillingness to move forward was nowhere near taken into consideration. And it was like an eternity, all fear felt in the journey was purposefully mounting in each step taken. Once there he circumspectly brought his gaze upon the contents of the opened vault before him.

His mother lay there not in the condition he had recently remembered. There appeared no yellowish off colored dress, frayed hair, and dried flesh withered to bone composure. She lay there still; the absence of corruption was noticeably prevalent for his mother was truly his mother. She was the gorgeous woman he had remembered seeing in life, and she was lying there now before him in what appeared to be nothing more than a peaceful slumber.

Her cheek was warm, and upon his touch, to his joyous dismay her dark blue eyes opened slowly. The life in them was full, vibrant, and there was no trace of necrosis within the contours of her entire beautiful facade. Surely the ten years in death had been overcome. And he had been right all along; beauty could indeed overcome all things, even the grave. It was all a matter of time and patience.

Maria Isabella did not appear lost or out of place as one would expect. She gazed upon him lovingly, as she had always.

Vega went to speak to her, but found he could not. It was as if an invisible vice had seized tightly on his vocal cords and mouth; his brain was unable to process the output of even standard vocabulary but in that moment his loss of speech had not mattered. No amount of words could have even remotely expressed the absolute joy he felt that she was there with him again. He had missed her so, though it had all seemed too good to be true.

Taking his hand she sat up from her morbid enclosure, eyes never leaving his. Finally in a voice coated in sweet familiar loveliness she simply said. "_Igual que la teva Mare_." Within this occasion of reunion her words were strange. In Catalán, the phrase literally meant, "Just like your Mother."

As she stood, they met in a heartfelt embrace. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, grasping the realization if it all. Since they had last embraced he had grown significantly in height as well as body girth, his six foot one stature towered her shorter and much smaller frame. She smelled lovely, not like the revolting aroma of death and decay, but like the scent of a perfume she would always wear. Her blonde hair shined and sparkled in the glow of the light.

Vega readily went to gaze upon her again, and her eyes penetrated him in a loving stare. How her beauty was intoxicating. He had forgotten how beautiful she was. Her soft delicate hands cupped the sides of his face and again she said, "_Igual que la teva Mare_." That time her words had assuredly marked an undertone of severity. However the message remained convoluted. Vega didn't quite understand what she was trying to say though those series of words.

He wanted to tell her that he was indeed like her and to beg her to never leave him again. But still the words could not come.

She repeated the phrase to him in a tone no long traced in love. The corners of her dark eyes began to glimmer grimly; her fair skin slowly began to take on a dark ashen tone. And from there her countenance, before his eyes had entirely begun to change.

Maria Isabella now regarded him with an expression he found to be familiar. It was a look she had always regarded both his father and stepfather; a look of demeaning scorn. There was hatred in her eyes. Vega felt the sting of hurt; why was she regarding him in hatred?

As she again spoke those strange words, she forcefully shoved him away from her. There was an odd inhuman strength in her effort as Vega found himself falling ferociously to the ground and onto the stone floor several feet away. In the transition, he had painfully scraped his elbow. Still shocked by her brutal display of violence towards him, he turned slowly to face a being that was no longer his mother.

Now Maria Isabella had become the beast he had seen in the mirror; in place of his own reflection all those months ago. It was also presumably the beast that plagued his nightmares. Wild crazed eyes pinched twisted nose and rows of jagged piranha-like teeth met him in the same feat of challenge. It stood there over him, in her dress, with her hair, but not her.

"Just like your Mother… You wretched creature…" the thing hissed in English that time.

Without a voice Vega could not scream. He was stifled with fear and could not immediately move from his place on the floor. The realization that his mother had indeed come back to him was in fact too good to be true. This notion deepened the disappointment and despair he felt for it had been a lie.

From off to his right something strange caught his eye. The large statue which stood in a prayerful guard over the tombs suddenly opened her eyes. In place of usual optic anatomy, there had only been a blazing ravaging fire. Her hands separated from their clasping prayerful mode as the right hand turned to point towards the opened vault that had once encased her.

As the hideous creature watched on, he stood to follow the statue's silent direction. In place of a casket, the vault within the enclosure had given way to a large endless pit of fire. There was no bottom and the depth was immeasurable. Deep from within the blaze he was sure he could hear the sounds of screaming tortured souls. In that realization he knew he was gazing over hell itself.

The creature, now revealed to be a demonic entity through this recent discovery spoke once more. "Where you will go… Just like your Mother…" Without instance it lunged at him. Its gnarled talon hands twisted around his throat and attempted to push him down into the opened fiery vault. Its strength was insurmountable as Vega found himself struggling for his own life. He fought effortlessly, and the more he struggled, the more he felt himself being pushed inward through the opened enclosure. The heat of the fire could be felt against his face.

He wanted to scream he wanted to cry out, he now held realization in the error of his ways, the shallowness of his character, and he wanted to change. He needed to change; this could not have been the end. This could not have been it. Yet with one more forceful and final shove, his demonic entity sent him through tomb-like hole and into the pit of hellfire. Vega had nowhere else to go but down, and he fell far.

His voice had now returned to him and he woke up in a screaming fit on the floor at the base of his bed. He immediately didn't realize where he had been, and now caught in the entanglement of his sheets; he fought, struggled and continued to scream.

Vega finally came to his senses when the sensation of falling and the feeling of intense heat had left. It was all a terrible dream. A dream that was so real. He untangled himself from the sheets of his bed and sat up in a kneeling position on the floor. The effects of what he had encountered still haunted him, and the mounting fear had griped him so that he didn't want to move from where he was. He pictured that wide eyed creature prowling around somewhere in his small villa, lurking, waiting, and hoping to seize him again. He shuddered at the thought.

As Vega went to place the sheet back onto the bed, he realized he had suffered a nose bleed in his sleep. Judging by the color and consistency of the blood, he realized that it had happened fairly recently. In the bathroom he checked the mirror and found a fresh trial of crimson coming directly from his nostrils. A towel was certainly needed to tend to the mess.

During his travels over the course of several months, he found himself settled and situated in the North West corner of Argentina in a small rural town called Santa Catalina, situated at the edge of the Andes Mountain chain. It was only miles away from the Bolivian bordering town of Sarcari.

Since Vega Fabio De Cerda was known to be dead by the masses, he had to adopt the false pseudo name and ID of Jaime Sabartés, a name taken from the man who had been an iconic subject piece in many of Pablo Picasso's blue period artwork. After a bit of bribery, he was able to enter the country under this falsified name. It was known that if someone had enough money in South America it was quite simple to disappear with no questions asked. It was how the Nazi's had done it all those years ago in the post effects of World War II. That was just how corrupt the governments had been, the simplicity of the process was quite conveniently interesting to say the least. For it had only made him wonder just how many free criminals were roaming about in both Argentina and surrounding countries.

Not long after his arrival, he had purchased and settled into a small two bedroom villa on the coast of a small running river. He had never dwelled in anything so small before in his life. Yet in the attempts of not appearing out of place, or bringing unneeded attention on him, the arrangement was necessary. The entire process of living like a lower standard commoner had taken quite a bit of getting used to. The idea of having to clean, cook, and even market shop were tasks that he hadn't ever fathomed doing.

The official language in Argentina was obviously Spanish. Yet the part of Spain he had originated, Catalonia; Spanish was not spoken. Within the Catalonian province, everyone spoke Catalán. It was a similar dialect where words were concerned but not in accent, and though he was fluent in both, he found he had preferred his own native tongue.

While living in Argentina, Vega knew that if he had ever needed to interact with a person on the street whatever the reason may have been, he was reluctantly forced to speak strictly in Spanish.

In Latin America, he had also found to his dismay that many of the even ordinary dwellers held housekeepers and servants to take care of their everyday household needs. For him a maid was out of the question. In whatever way, he could not afford to get close to anyone. Still as the months grew on, and he became comfortable in routine of common living, the rather foreign notion of humbling oneself began to chip away at the very corners of his sharp edged straightway and mode of superior façade.

This living arrangement would certainly not last forever, at some point in time, something would give. However he was still unclear as to how that would even possibly come about. Some sort of excitement must surface, perhaps the young man who unknowingly sacrificed his life for him, would have been reported missing by now. Perhaps this notion would have stirred a connecting investigation into his own death. Sadly if it had already, he would not have known. He possessed no television; he did not even want to know what was going on in the rest of the world. On his laptop he limited his online searches to only trivial things such as entertainment.

The situation was lonely. There were no more adoring fans to idolize him in his greatness nor was there attention brought by onlookers that would marinade in his beauty. He had no one, and was only left in the constant solitude of his mind. The remoteness of his location was fluid leading him to obtain enough courage and conviction to call her in the previous night.

Day after following day while in hideout he pondered over the decision on whether to contact her but it was fear and doubt that seized him. What if she should reject him? What if she had changed her number? What if she would run to the police? What if…

It was the overpowering desire to hear her voice, to know the status of her and the child's wellbeing that had outweighed all reasons once shrouded in and delayed by fear. He had finally phoned her, and after having done so Vega was not left disappointed.

Chun-Li did not reject him as first suspected. Her words were civil just and for that he appreciated her all the more. After months of sheer solitude, with time after endless time of thinking about her, Vega was now certain that he loved her. Despite what she may have felt for him, he loved her deeply. The love he felt for his late mother was a different kind of love, and besides her, he knew he had never loved another human being, beside himself, the way he did Chun-Li. It was not becoming of him in one respect. In all truth she had reduced him to a flippant fool who had been captured by her essence. She had touched a part of him that even he was not aware existed. It went deeper, beyond the flesh somehow.

Vega wondered if this was what love felt like. If so it was painful, for in his solitude she haunted him, and he could see clearly the error of his ways. Something in her made the wretched faults in him come to surface. He could clearly see the way he hurt her in the quest for his own selfish gain. Just why did their circumstance have to turn in such a way? Why did he have to ruin it?

The nose bleed had finally ceased. When he returned back to his bedroom, he could see the edge of the early afternoon daylight spilling through the closed drapes in small rudimental lines of light. It was interesting how the spill of light through the dark covered window reminded him of his own circumstance in a rather strange and meaningful display. He went over to remove the drapes away from the large window pane, something he had rarely done. The day was beautiful, the mountains off in the distance attributed to this aesthetic portrait displayed before him. The very vision of hell seen in his dream had been for a reason. His fragile soul had not been devoured, regardless of the uncertainty that continued in his life. For this he was most thankful.

***

She didn't want to tell the others about the strange phone call from Vega that she received the previous night. Guile already didn't believe her and because of this, Chun-Li knew that involving anyone else in the rather crazy fiasco would prove to be a bigger and much more unneeded mess. From there on out, it was best to simply keep what happened under wraps for now. At least until she could provide more proof.

At five o'clock that Thanksgiving afternoon, the seven of them, to exclude sleeping infant twins and to include young Amy, had gathered around Guile and Julia's dining room table to break bread together and eat in a familial sort of fellowship.

Guile sat at the head of the table. At the opposite end from him, an extra place had been set for Dorai. Who was no longer with them physically, but perhaps had been there in spirit.

The turkey was placed on a lovely centerpiece at the middle of the table, along with a series of assorted foods such as stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, ham, sweet potatoes, and assorted casseroles. Chun-Li had never even tried many of them. Being of Chinese descent, this holiday was never typically celebrated with her own family.

Prior to eating, Guile ordered everyone to stand and join hands as he reluctantly proceeded to lead in prayer. "You know I'm not too good at this type of stuff. I know if Dorai were here, he would have lead in prayer but since he isn't, I feel honored to commence in that. So with that being said, could we bow our heads?"

Everyone, including Chun-Li, closed their eyes and lowered their gaze.

"Father," he continued "thank you for this time we have together as family to fellowship and give thanks to you and what you've done in our lives…" He paused to find the right words. "We ask that you bless this food and the hands who helped prepare it. All of this we ask in Jesus name. Amen."

Everyone then repeated the closeout statement in unison so that the feasting could begin.

As they ate, Eliza, who sat directly next to Chun-Li asked, "Soooo… Are you going shopping with us tomorrow morning?"

"Shopping?" she repeated.

"Yes," Julia chimed in. "You have to go with us. Eliza and I are waking up at 3:30 am and heading to the shopping malls over in New Jersey to go Black Friday shopping."

"It'll be fun." Eliza added. "Just a nice girl's day…"

Chun-Li didn't fully know what Black Friday shopping was, she had heard of it in her previous time spent in the US but wasn't clear on the purpose. Why did people have to wake up so early?

"Or if you're like us, you'll stay in bed late and wait until Saturday to do all your holiday shopping, where you can catch the same deals." Guile muttered.

"But Will, who's to say those same products will still, be available? They could go fast!" Eliza argued back.

"Trust me." Ken piped in, "If there's anyone I know who knows more about shopping, it's definitely Eliza! She should do it professionally."

Still confused, she just had to ask the question, "What is Black Friday shopping anyway?"

"You mean you don't know?" Eliza cried, "It's like the ultimate sale date of the entire year! You can buy a ton of stuff at super cheap prices! Practically everyone and their mom will be out there tomorrow!"

Chun-Li shook her head, "Why would someone purposely go out into a string of madness like that just to buy merchandise?"

Guile chuckled that time. "Besides, the sale prices aren't worth waking up at 3:30! I remember Julia dragged me out into that mess one year. Trust me that was the first and last time."

"His pride won't admit it but we did get some really great deals." Julia said matter of factly. "We bought a surround sound system that year at half price."

Guile shrugged, "I forgot about that, but again it's your call."

Chun-Li found herself nodding. "Sure I'll come… Even if I don't buy anything, I would still like to come along for the atmosphere."

"Me too," Amy added in excitement, "I promise I'll wake up to go!"

"Your mother is only calling you once to get up." Guile warned his daughter, "If you're not up then that's it. You're not going." He then sighed, "I guess that leaves me stuck with the babies…"

"Not unless you want us to take them along." Julia offered.

"Nah, that's alright…" He replied. "We men will take care of them."

Ken laughed and waved his hand in protest. "Yeah man, good luck with that by yourself! I'm sleeping in!"

They ate on for several minutes in silence. In that time Chun-Li pondered on the importance of friends and how having a support of people there around her was essential. Everyone needed someone didn't they? Even if an early morning shopping trip hadn't been most ideal in her eyes, the process taken to form the bond of friendship had. From her plate, her eyes scanned watchfully at everyone around the dining table. These people that she had in sense found a level of kindred friendship with were not perfect, and neither was she. Each one had their quirks, their shortcomings and their flaws. Still on that day of thanksgiving, she was truly thankful for having them.

After eating Thanksgiving dinner, it was a yearly ongoing tradition in the family that Julia and Eliza came from, to jump start the Christmas holiday season with a movie. The film they would view each year was the 1951 adaptation of Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol, titled Scrooge. Late in the evening, they all gathered into the den to watch the old production across the screen.

Chun-Li had never seen the movie but had read the original book when she was of junior high age. Within the first ten minutes both Guile and Ken were snoring.

"What party poopers." Julia commented.

Chun-Li laughed, "I guess all the food they ate put them to sleep."

"Yeah but still…" Eliza replied. She appeared unnerved and bit saddened by their unwillingness to participate. "This is my family's tradition. If Ken and I will ever get married someday, I want to keep it in our own family."

They watched on in the confines of the Guile household. All assumptions of the safety and security they felt would soon be played out in the ultimate test of faith. Outside within the darkness of the late November air, the lurking shadows slowly began to close in.


	13. Safe Haven

**  
CHAPTER TWELVE**

**Safe Haven**

Victor Sagat worked for the Shadowlaw Syndicate since the early mode of its concept. Initially it had sounded like a promising career as the General M. Bison had such a way with words. He made working for the organization sound like both a privilege as well as a major rare achievement in life, and initially maybe he was right.

Perhaps all along Sagat could see through this farce but continued in it holding the hope that things would turn out for the better. However after years of both living and working within the confines of the corrupt company, Sagat instead found himself in the complacent mode of incessant regret and disappointment. He now knew those delusive words spoken by his leader had been nothing more than a tactful method of manipulation and to some degree even mind control. Day after day he resented himself most of all for being so gradually duped by Bison. And now as Shadowlaw was in process of ruin, he wondered why he hadn't gotten out when the opportunity was at its prime. It would only be a matter of time now before Interpol would come in and they would be all tried and convicted. For Bison's sake he had hoped this much. Someone just had to put an end to this insanity.

He'd seen what they had done to Vega and Sagat knew there was no escape for him. Not anyone of them. Mike Balrog had only gone along with Bison's operations for reasons driven by both fear and greed. The former heavyweight boxer, while afraid for his life, was also just as money hungry, and more than likely hoped that Shadowlaw would one day make him into a rich man. Sagat pitied him for the rather sad delusion he held.

Up until recently, Sagat held title of the world's greatest Muay Thai champion in the martial arts sector. There had been no one out there that was even remotely strong enough to defeat him. He had his strength, his size, his skill, and his towering height to defeat whatever opponent that would dare challenge him in the ring. He was unstoppable; this was his forte, for he was bred for such a purpose. Unlike most, Sagat was never so sure about his purpose in life, his calling of destiny, for he was the reigning champ. Indeed an unstoppable adversary until his encounter with Ryu Hoshi.

This young fighter from Japan, a mere boy barely half his size had obliterated him inside the tournament ring all those months ago and the feeling of defeat was a terrible realization that still tormented him to this day. Since that fateful encounter Sagat tried so desperately to gather the remnants of his pride for purpose of reevaluating his entire existence. It was not easy.

During their fight, Ryu had executed a rather stealthy uppercut to Sagat's midsection. This was what finished him. The damaging blow cauterized flesh and left a large ugly infliction that extended diagonally from the bottom of his abdomen up to just below the collarbone. The scar it left behind was a constant and taunting reminder of his defeat.

From an early age, since before he could begin to retain the details about his first memories, his body had been conditioned to fight. In a sense, it was ingrained within him.

Sagat was born to a Thai prostitute in the brothel red light district of Bangkok where men of all ages from around the world would come in to fulfill their various taboo desires. Judging by his looks and massive height of seven foot four, his mother had suspected that he may have been fathered by an African American soldier, one of her clientele, who had stopped through on his way back home at the end of the war. However it was hard to say and such notion hadn't weighed much on Sagat.

The same men who had kept his mother in circulation within the red light district also had another lucrative business on the side. Their initial idea was to train a young boy from an early age in the style of Muay Thai, and forcibly fight him against other boys for the sole purpose of making money. The concept was uncannily similar to that of canine fighting, yet with the use of human beings. The sport was viciously brutal, and many were hurt and even killed in the transition.

Sagat himself was trained and conditioned, thus proving to be an exceptional fighter and valuable asset to the illegal Muay Thai circuit. For a number of years in his youth age he felt he was even invincible. In the age he was now he couldn't even remember the number of boys he had wounded and even killed over the years.

Eventually his expertise and fighting skill brought the attention to Bison who, Sagat learned later, was ultimately in charge of the entire sex ring and Muay Thai operation within as well as around Thailand. Like with any other corporation, he worked his way up to become one of Bison's personal henchmen alongside Vega and Balrog.

He couldn't complain about the money, because it wasn't bad. What bothered him most was the immorality that plagued Shadowlaw. In his younger days the actions did not faze him, and regardless of the person he was conditioned to be, despite his coarse disposition, and compared to most, the rough life he lived, Sagat remained aware. It was obvious that he didn't always do the right thing, but he instinctively knew in his own heart of hearts what was right.

There was a sense of honor in fighting, a respect that was gained. When Sagat lost to Ryu all those months ago he found that Bison's demeanor towards him had changed. The respect was gone. Perhaps his skills were no longer up to par, and he was getting older. Whatever the case may have truly been, he figured the true mode of intention had always been there lying just beneath the surface. It didn't matter. Again first and foremost he wanted out of Shadowlaw. And then to perhaps gain back at least some remote sense of dignity and honor into his hollowed out life, if at all possible he wanted another match with Ryu Hoshi.

Something very interesting was brewing in Shadowlaw that day. It had seemed as though a breakthrough had finally come in where those fighters that Bison had been obsessing over, were concerned. They were spotted somewhere in the Queens section of New York City and the assault team, lead by Balrog, had already been dispatched to the location. Soon they would be here and perhaps Sagat would again have the opportunity to unofficially reclaim his title.

In one respect he wondered, being exceptional fighters that they had all been, how the Shadowlaw team would manage to infiltrate the residence. He could accurately guess that not even a large number of regular foot soldiers could capture Ryu alone successfully without a fight. Then there were the others to take into consideration. Whatever plan they had devised to capture them and whatever process played out would prove to be interesting either way.

***

Chun-Li was forced to brush her teeth in the downstairs bathroom on the main level of Guile's house. They thought she was stupid but she wasn't. They tried to remain inconspicuous but she knew Ken and Eliza were both showering in the upstairs bathroom together. It could not have taken a rocket scientist to figure that out. For one the door was locked and when she went to knock she heard them both attempting to stifle giggles. There from inside she had then heard Ken call out to say that he, and only he, would be out in just a moment. Who were they kidding? And why would they even disrespect Julia and Guile like that to even do such a thing in their house?

The hormones were certainly raging that night. Chun-Li was usually so mildly tempered and a scenario such as the one with Ken and Eliza typically would not have bothered her. Somehow this time it had. It must have been the pregnancy.

For reasons unknown to her Sub had been barking all night. Periodically she would also hear Guile from his room yelling at the dog to keep quiet. The noise would then cease momentarily only to begin again. This had further contributed to her irritation. Why was he barking so much anyway?

She felt watched; perhaps it was the openness of the large old house. A chill ran down her spine as Chun-Li made her way through the dark downstairs corridor towards the half bath in the front entrance hallway. From where she could see, the clock on the cabinet encased oven in the kitchen had indicated the time to be just a quarter past midnight. She still had yet to go to sleep and was now actually reconsidering the whole shopping trip. Just who in their right mind would want to get up at 3:30, especially if they didn't have to?

Chun-Li shut the door to the bathroom behind her. After placing her bag of toiletries on the edge of the sink, she turned to face the full length mirror mounted to the back of the door. In her mode of self-criticism, she studied herself carefully eyes going to first her hips. They were a good size to begin with, taking on a very girthy and muscular disposition. Growing up, she was teased for her larger than average legs and hips. Not many girls of oriental descent typically had legs like she, and for that reason of standing out she hated them. In many instances throughout life she even wondered if there were other unknown genetic factors that played a role in her creation. Beside her large legs, her hair was a dark brown instead of black, another unlikely trait.

She actually didn't grow to find more appreciation for her legs until her father Dorai had gotten her involved in the art of Kung-Fu. In the times that he wasn't there to train her, Dorai's own master, an older gentleman by the name of Gen would. In the process of her training, Chun-Li found that she was nearly unstoppable against opponents. The power packed kicks behind each extra fiber of muscle made her certainly made her a very worthy opponent and had even caused her to stand out from the rest.

But while in pregnancy, the tightness she had originally obtained had lessened and instead of the power packed tight legs all she had were softened ones. Turning over in the mirror she examined her backside from view of her shoulder and only frowned. Babies only weighed an average of seven pounds at birth. Was this extra weight really necessary? When able she exercised within the parameters of recommendation given by her doctor but it was nowhere near the typical strain she had put her pre-pregnancy body through, still it would have to suffice.

Chun-Li knew she was being hard on herself. The mood she had recently obtained hadn't necessarily been good, but then again Guile didn't really help matters by holding the disbelief in regards to her story.

She stood there before the sink and brushed her teeth and then began to rinse her mouth with Listerine. As if on cue, the phone from within the pocket of her sweatpants began to vibrate. Momentarily she ceased her swishing and pulled her phone into view. It was there across the caller ID display, the same series of numbers she had seen on the previous night. She didn't expect for him to call again so quickly. It even seemed almost careless for him to do so.

Spitting out the remainder of the strong minty tasting liquid she immediately answered, and not having the opportunity to give a word in edgewise Vega spoke first. "My apologies…" The somberness in his voice was more pronounced than it had been in the previous night. "I didn't intend to hang up on you so suddenly last night."

"Does it matter?" she asked indifferently. Her mind suddenly went to Guile. If only there was a way to suddenly sneak upstairs and have him listen in, without the risk of waking the others. He would surely be proved wrong once and for all.

Vega ignored her last response with, "And what about the baby? How is the baby?"

"The baby's fine… The same since yesterday..."

"You are showing now I assume, glowing with a radiance of beauty."

Chun-Li remained quiet on the line suddenly wondering why he was calling her again. "Honestly I didn't expect you to call back…" she said finally, and in truth she hadn't.

She heard him chuckle softly. "I suppose I am risking a lot by contacting you this way."

Chun-Li now had to think about what he said. Was he subtly fishing to see if his call was being traced in that that moment? If that were the case she would have to play along as if it actually was. "They don't believe that you called me last night. They still believe the news reports about you being killed." This "They" she was referring to had only really been Guile, but he didn't need to know that. In that moment she waited for him to hang up, when he didn't however she grew concerned.

"What I need…" he said almost solemnly, "some excitement around here…"

Chun-Li raised her eyebrows in question at this statement. Did he deliberately want to be caught? Her curiosity was expanding by the minutes and she just had to prod. "So… where exactly are you anyway?"

Vega sighed sounding both worn and tired. Then without much hesitation he said, "Santa Catalina, Argentina. I have been here for just over five months."

She delved further. "How did—"

"It's quite simple really…" his words cut hers. It was obvious he knew where her next question was going. "When I helped you and your friends escape that satellite office of Shadowlaw back on that day, it was quite obvious that they were after me. Correct? You all knew, the way they bombed that embassy…"

"Yes." She admitted, although now, after everything he had done to her she was surprised even more to find herself in civil words with him. She was beginning to feel that the extreme hatred felt towards him was starting to lift off the edges. It was nothing voluntarily done. Perhaps time did mend wounds; the wounds of emotional pain, anguish, regret and perhaps even hatred. In all manner of seriousness, what good was it doing? Harboring hatred for one that remained unfettered by her intense feelings of resentment was just like trying to throw darts of venom on a rat behind a protective sheet of glass.

Vega continued on. "What was so fortunately coincidental was that my agent was in this conceptual idea of making a movie about my life from an early date. Of course I initially didn't go for it." His tone turned haughty, "I mean really, who could dare try to portray someone as beautiful as me across the screen?"

Chun-Li rolled her eyes. Was it true that he was still so seriously hung up on himself?

"When Bison was on my trail I had to reevaluate my course of action. I called Galvan, and told him I'd go for the movie idea. He had already found an actor who resembled me from his prior search. Then I gave them the date, time, and place to meet…"

"And you didn't show." Chun-Li finished his sentence. "You lead them there because you knew Shadowlaw would be watching the place… You knew that upon seeing the guy they thought was you, Shadowlaw would strike."

"And that's just what they did. It's unfortunate for my agent Galvan. He was a good man and a great person to work with; a long time friend of my family's. I held the utmost respect for him."

Chun-Li could suddenly feel her anger rise from within. She could not believe what she was hearing "Just like my father right? What is this trend you hold Vega?" She demandingly berated. "Do you purposely have men that you respect killed, if it's for your benefit? What about the other people, that young man mistaken for you? What about your servants?"

"It was better them than me."

"Innocent people have lost their lives here! Can't you even process that into your mind!?"

"This was done for you." His tone was calm and without falter.

"You saved me from Shadowlaw and that was enough!" She cried.

"I also had to save myself…" he explained. "In whatever manner I could muster."

"But at the expense of innocent lives; people who had nothing to do with this craziness!?"

"In all fair honesty, yes."

"You psychopath... I really don't understand you." She muttered.

Vega's tone was icy now. "There is nothing to understand."

There was then a long and drawn out pause over the line for what seemed like minutes. Chun-Li fumed in her own disgust for his actions. He suddenly laughed as if the entire matter was humorous. Was all of this just funny to him?

"Tell me lovely," his tone was forward and direct that time, "have you heard of the term "star-crossed lovers"?"

From somewhere in the house, again the dog suddenly barked ferociously.

"Star crossed lovers…" she repeated without thinking. "Romeo and Juliet…"

"Indeed the most famous of them…"

Chun-Li remained curt. "Where is this going?"

Vega was silent, perhaps in a tactful contemplation. "I have the suspicion…" He finally began.

"What suspicion?"

"To put our own circumstances into perspective, my beautiful, we two are also star crossed lovers. We hold a connection, a kindred rapture, a bonding sense of destiny, one would say." He exhaled a sigh. "Yet in the unfortunate disposition of our circumstance, we are also in fact ill-fated."

Chun-Li scoffed in adamant protest. "The only reason why we are in this situation is because of you and you alone. This has nothing to do with fate, destiny, or even the stars. You made the choice to kill my father. You made the choice to lie and take advantage of me. The circumstance is manmade. It's time to take responsibility for your own selfish actions."

Perhaps Vega didn't immediately know how to respond to her words of truth as he warily remained quiet. After a while he admittedly said, "A fair statement. You're right. I do take responsibility for my actions. It was wrong of me to commit such terrible grievances against you."

She couldn't decipher whether he truly meant what he was saying or if it was just another game he was playing. She didn't have time for games; in fact she had grown ill of them.

"But if only you would understand." His voice softened with regard to a sort of emotion he had attempted to display to her in that moment. "You've reduced me to something I've never been. The moment I first saw you, I…" his voice trailed off.

"Aren't you a little late for this?" She asked unconvinced. She knew where he was going with this and was unmoved by his attempted course of action.

Vega hummed in amusement, "But of course I am. Are we not ill-fated after all?" he joked. "But now, really in all seriousness lovely, I care deeply for you. And despite of what you feel for me now, what I've done, I know you did care at one time." His following statement was bold, "And somewhere deep down I know you still do, despite of me."

"At one time…" Chun-Li found herself saying, the guardedness in her tone had suddenly dissipated. "I didn't know you well enough then but I started to have feelings."

"Ill-fated indeed… and my feelings never stopped. In fact they've grown beyond caring and I've become a hopeless fool. Hopeless because I've fallen… God I've fallen in love with you."

Love was such a strong word by itself; a strong feeling, a strong emotion and an overall strong sense of being. Chun-Li could not have ever expected for him to express those words. After his recent acts of display she couldn't have even expected him to love another period. As a result she was left without words to say.

The long drawn out pause was awkward for her, yet it hadn't seemed to faze Vega in the least. At last, without a hint of hesitation he came out and told her in words of nobility that he loved her.

Again Chun-Li was left speechless. She didn't even have the time to give a response to his statement when an unknown crashing sound echoed throughout the confines of the house. There was momentary silence and then within a matter of seconds there were heavy footsteps, some of which trampled by the bathroom where she stayed; and then the voices came. In the instance of this quick and traumatizing string of events, she initially couldn't register what was going on.

"Hurry, they upstairs!" A loud voice commanded. "Surround all exits; make sure no one can get out!"

Chun-Li instinctually turned off the light so that she wouldn't be immediately noticed. While standing there in the dark a rise of panic arose within her as she suddenly realized there were intruders in the house

It didn't take long before the commotion began. She heard Julia scream first. Then Guile shouted, "What the hell are you doing here! Get out!" Following that she could hear instant gunfire, and another loud thud.

"Take him down now!" the original commanding voice called. Another gunshot fired, followed by struggle.

More commotion was heard in the upper direction of the bathroom occupied by Ken and Eliza. The door crashed inward, and she heard Eliza shriek and then Ken yell obscenities.

"Get him, we don't have much time!" One man cried in command, "Restrain him, the master wants him unharmed!"

"KEN!" She heard Eliza scream, "No what are you doing!? Stop it!" Chun-Li then heard her cry out in pain, followed by a loud thump.

Ken shouted for Eliza and again came a series of swears and curses.

Chun-Li could hear all of the commotion upstairs. The walls knocked and thudded loudly from the struggle, wood cracked and splintered as doors came unhinged from their frame. The sounds of her friend's yells and screams were all too much to handle. She instinctually guarded her belly and slid down against the wall. Her brain in that tense and surreal moment, so desperately scrambled for a solution. Where to go? What to do? In the process of what had been transpiring upstairs, her breathing suddenly became labored, and in a panic.

After waiting patiently Vega finally said, "What is it? I have just declared my most intimate of feelings to you and…"

"It's not that," she whimpered quietly, her voice just barely above a whisper. "People… men just rushed the house. We've got intruders… Oh God…" There came more sounds of struggle, then another gunshot. She squealed, "My God, they've got guns, I think someone's been shot! I can hear them, I can hear them screaming!"

"Where are you right now?" His tone suddenly lowered to a commanding concern.

Her voice was wavering now, "I was at Major Guile's house for the Thanksgiving holiday, I- I had come downstairs to brush my teeth when you called. I'm still here in the half bathroom and I just heard them come in."

"Search for the girl! There's another girl in here somewhere that the master is looking for. She's pregnant and shouldn't be hard to miss!" another man's voice sounded. "Search every area!"

"Vega, I just heard them they're looking for me… Oh God help me please." She whispered, "I can't fight them, not in this condition…"

His voice was smooth as it remained calm. She knew it was in an attempt to press out her own frayed nerves. "You need to settle down," he urged her, and then waited as if in his own contemplation. "Chun-Li just calm yourself. I will need your help with something. Could you do that?"

"Okay… okay…" she said drawing in deep breaths now.

In the distance Sub's incessant and intense barking ended suddenly with a high pitched yelp as the sound of yet another gunshot rang out in the air. There was more commotion, shouting and screams. Then the infants could now be heard screaming, followed by Julia's panicked shrieks of anguished.

"Shut-up bitch!" another man yelled. Julia abruptly fell silent "Let's get these guys out of here; we need to break out before the neighbors start calling the cops!"

In the dark Chun-Li hugged herself. "Oh my God, what do I do? What do I do? I think they've harmed those innocent newborns and killed the dog!" she continued to cry, tears now streaming. The moment, upon a certain level seemed to bring her back to the night in which her father killed.

"Calm down, take it easy…" Vega spoke, but it was as if his voice were far away. At that point the moment seemed rather hypnagogic and lucid. "I need you to look outside the door and tell me what you see. Describe to me the men that are there…"

"I don't know… What if—"

"Just do it." he demanded sharply. "This is important. If I am going to be able to help… you must do this."

***

Guile had not been sleeping when the barrage of men busted in through the door. On the contrary, he and Julia both had been kept awake by Sub's nonstop noise. He had been barking all night for a reason initially assumed to be something simple like a pair of squirrels on the outside oak trees, or even burrowing rabbits. Yet he should have known better, he heard the level of intensity in the animal's voice that he had never detected. All that time prior, he had been angry at the dog for keeping the entire house awake, but there was a purpose behind it and he didn't listen. Now their safe haven had been violated and the dog lay there, dying from the gunshot wound he had received. All he was trying to do was protect them.

Whoever headed up the infiltration was quite stupid. All the years of experience he had with military operations, he knew that it was quite foolish to raid the enemy head on. He heard them coming, for they didn't even take their time to creep in. As they came barging through his bedroom door, Guile was able to successfully shoot and kill one of the seven or so men at point blank range in the forehead. Wearing protective bullet proof gear, the rest managed to wrestle him to the ground, the gun going off once more as it fell from his hands. While falling to the ground he could see through the opened doorway that even more men were dragging Ken from out of the bathroom, wearing only a bathrobe. Eliza was immediately nowhere to be in sight. Come to think he hadn't seen Chun-Li either. There was no doubt that this was Shadowlaw, taking them by force. He wondered where they had been all this time in hiding.

After bounding his hands and wrists with law enforcement restraints, they brought him to a standing position where he was struck a few times in the face with the butt of his own weapon. Then a man Guile had suspected to be leader of the entire operation came forward and executed several more punches to his face, jaw, chest, ribs and midsection. "Cowards…" he muttered as the blood streamed from his forehead "You're gonna rough up a guy while he's restrained..."

Julia by that time had clamored into the corner attempting to hold and protect the infants, as well as Sub, who so desperately wanted a piece of the action. Finally when she could no longer hold him, the small dog lunged forward at the intruders, where he was instantly shot placing him in the predicament that he was currently in now.

Julia yelled out a shriek at the carnage she saw, causing both babies to scream in turn. The attention was immediately turned in her direction. The same man, who had just finished bludgeoning Guile with his fists, crossed the room towards Julia where he forcefully stood her to her feet. He snatched the babies from her arms promptly throwing them to the ground, and began to strike her repeatedly in the face. Guile struggled against his restraints, at what he saw, to the point of him too getting struck again by his own gun. Blood poured from the various wounds the injuries left on his face. Yet sadly he could do nothing for his wife and was forced to watch her take the abuse. His small children lay there on the floor flailing, kicking and wailing in their own agony. Guile was beyond angered at what he had seen, however yet and still, in his own predicament he could do nothing.

He heard the sound of his own pistol click as it was held forcefully against his temple with the bullet engaged. Guile closed his eyes believing this was the end for him and his family. Within minutes their lives had been shattered.

"Hey hold on a sec," a voice spoke.

Guile opened his eyes to see that the man who'd been hitting both him and his wife was now studying him carefully. "Hey man, I know this cat…" those dark eyes burned into him. "Yes… William Guile. …CID agent with the military. I remember you. You and your friend Charlie Nash…"

Guile stared wide eyed. This man had looked vaguely familiar as well, and from his spoken words it was obvious he was with Shadowlaw.

"Don't kill him. The master will be thrilled with this news." He said, "Bring them both along with us and leave those little screaming brats here."

In that moment of transgression, he thought about his daughter Amy, upstairs in the loft, alone and probably half frightened out of her mind. He for one hoped and prayed to God that she remained hidden from their view, and in that second notion he prayed even harder that they would in turn not find her.

As he was escorted out of his bedroom, he saw them shoot Eliza in the face.

***

Ken had just finished showering. He and Eliza both were putting on their bathrobes when they had heard the commotion from outside. Initially he was left confused as to what was transpiring until a group of armed men, dressed in combat gear busted so forcefully through the door, tearing it away from the hinge in a hastened fury.

"Get him, we don't have much time!" the front man shouted in command, "Restrain him, the master wants him unharmed!"

Ken backed into the wall still caught off guard, slewing a line of curses in the process. He had assumed these men were S.W.A.T. team members who had mistaken him. They must have had the wrong address. Such error wasn't too farfetched was it? He didn't do anything wrong, they had the wrong guy.

As they began to take him down, Eliza screamed "KEN! No what are you doing!? Stop it!" When one of the men struck her forcefully in the face with the M-4 rifle, all assumption that Ken had about them being law enforcement suddenly vanished. She collapsed to the floor, her robe partially opened to expose her nudity. He screamed for her, yelled out another line of curses and was as well pummeled with hits.

In the distance there was the hurried sound of muffled struggle, a gunshot and the infants screaming. Just what was going in?

As his girlfriend lay there, he put up a struggle for minutes until he was finally overpowered by the mass number. He was carried out into the hallways fighting against the cuffs they had restrained him in.

"Come on let's get him out f here," one man said.

"No! What are you doing! Where are you taking them? Ken!" He heard Eliza call out. It was apparent that she had not been debilitated by her wounds.

When he managed to turn, he saw them shoot her in the face.

Before he had time to scream for her, his mouth and nose were suddenly covered with fabric and everything instantly faded to black.

***

Ryu was a heavy sleeper. He never heard the dog bark, the yelling voices, the commotion, the screams, or the gunshots from the guest bedroom in which he slept. He didn't even hear them barge in but awoke as he was being pulled out of the bed.

"This is the hot commodity right here!" one man shouted. "We can make this quick and painless for everyone, but we need to act fast!"

Ryu, obviously in his rather faded frame of mind could not initially register what was taking place. Who were these intruders? In the background he could now hear the noise of struggle and the tortured screams echoing through the house.

From the still dark room, he heard a woman's voice that time. She sounded British. "Lord Bison has a set date and time to meet our target. You take care of him, I'll find the girl."

_Bison?_ He wondered to himself. Instantly he knew what had happened. Shadowlaw had found them, and had them surrounded.

"Agent Killer Bee! I think she's down here!" A voice spoke from out in the house somewhere.

"Right on it!" the woman replied, her tone monotonous. Ryu saw the outline of her shadow disappear from the room, as she ran through the opened doorway.

Suddenly catching his assailants off guard, he rushed one man with a fierce head butt to the bridge of the nose, knocking him unconscious instantly. Ryu executed a forceful sidekick to the man on his right, sending him into a nearby chest of drawers. He broke away from their grasp and hurriedly followed the girl out into the hallway with more men on his tail.

From the upstairs hallway, he saw Eliza lay on the floor partially nude. It was obvious from her appearance that she had been killed by them. Her blonde hair soaked in blood, had covered part of her face. Her head was surrounded by a large pool of dark crimson. Ken was in restraints, and stood there limp, being held upright by more armed intruders. And though they were not unconscious, Guile and Julia were as well both restrained and seemed in a shocked and almost catatonic state of disbelief over what was transpiring. Their faces were both riddled with scrapes and bruises.

Julia was always so cheerful and bright, but Ryu almost did not recognize the countenance of her current esteem. Her eyes were red and appeared empty, tears poured down her face quietly. It was apparent that she had been threatened by more violence if she were to make any further noises. Otherwise she would have been screaming uncontrollably at the sight of her little sister laying there the way she was.

Why? Was all of this brutality really necessary?

Ryu didn't have time to really absorb the disturbing sight he had just seen, when more yelling and screaming ensued from the downstairs. At the view from balcony and staircase, he could now see that the blonde haired woman and another dark skinned man were struggling to drag Chun-Li from the downstairs bathroom. Even in her six months of pregnancy, she fought diligently against them.

"I said who you talkin' to bitch!?" the man shouted to her. It was apparent that Chun-Li had attempted to call for help while down there.

He started to go and run to her aid, however someone caught him from behind. The bottom part of his face was instantly covered by a cloth that felt much like a tee-shirt. The foul odor was strong, but on reaction he realized he had breathed too much of it in. The corners of his vision slowly began to fade to black. He now knew they had given him chloroform.

In his last effort of skillful reflex, he flipped the assailant clear over his shoulders and into the stairwell in front of him. After he saw the man fall on his head tumble hard down the set of stairs, he didn't remember anything else.

***

Vega kept the phone tightly pressed against his ear as he listened to the fear traced within her sweet voice. He wanted to sound strong for her, he wanted to hold his wit about him when talking to her, but deep inside his blood boiled and his anger rampaged. Without a doubt he knew this was Shadowlaw. Somehow they had finally caught up to the three warriors. From where he was, he could hear nothing of the struggle going on within that house she was staying.

"Oh God! Someone else was shot!" She whimpered again.

"Tell me," he again insisted her, "Describe to me what you can see as best you can from where you are…"

Chun-Li was quiet momentarily. Her voice remained in a whisper when she softly spoke to him. "I… I can't see much from this angle, the top of the stairs, and maybe a bit of the upstairs balcony. The men I see… they're all dressed in combat gear that bears the symbol of a skull with wings across the front… I can make out their faces… it's like they're concealed"

"Those are Shadowlaw foot soldiers," he informed her. His initial suspicions about this being Shadowlaw had certainly been correct.

She gasped, "I don't understand, how did they find us; after all this time?"

"What else?" He urged ignoring her question, "we don't have much time before they find you…"

There was again a brief pause and then, "I can sort of see them. Guile… he looks so badly injured his face… and Ken, he's unconscious… how?"

"Seeing that he would be the hardest to detain, they probably made him inhale chloroform." He guessed.

"They've got Julia… but I don't see Eliza, Amy, or Ryu, but I can hear the babies." Chun-Li paused. "Why are they leaving them there? Were they shot? This is such a nightmare…"

"I know this is all difficult for you, but I need to know the faces of the people with Shadowlaw. Who else is there that you can describe?"

Again more silence. "I see a man at the staircase, tall, buff, dark skin… His face isn't covered like the others…"

"Mike Balrog…" he said. "I should have known he'd be in charge of this raid. Bison sends him in do all his dirty work naturally."

"So this is definitely Shadowlaw, no mistaken?" she cried.

"No mistaken," he confirmed, anger was rising within by the minute.

There was several more moments of silence, and then Chun-Li said excitedly "Someone's coming! A girl, small, blonde hair with a scarred cheek…"

"That's Bison's killer bee, a former MI-6 agent known as Cammy White." Vega was a tad astonished, "I worked with her on operations; she must still be fully functional after all the invasive mind alterations and drugs administered on her…"

"They're coming in! Please you've got to help us!!!" Her voice was audibly loud that time, she then spoke no more as commotion was suddenly heard over the line. She shouted defiantly as a struggle had promptly interred.

Balrog's gruff voice then heard saying, "Who you talking to girlie?"

Before she too would have to succumb to their vicious restraints, Vega said to her, "go with them Chun-Li for now. I know I have not been very upstanding on my promises but I know that will come and find you, and I will get you out of there just as soon as possible. Please know that help is on the way..."

Chun-Li now let out a scream of pain from beyond the line. Knowing Mike Balrog like he did, with carelessness, stupidity and violent brutality entailed, he knew that the former boxer was hitting her.

"I said who you talkin' to bitch!?" Balrog again demanded loudly. No sooner was his voice heard on the line of Chun-Li's cell phone. "Whoever this is, you ain't gonna help them… Ya hear? You won't be able to find us that easy!"

"We'll see about that." Vega spoke defiantly.

Line was quiet for a few moments. Balrog then spoke in a tone that sounded slightly disturbed. "Uh hey… who is this?" there was no longer any trace of ravaged commandment that time.

Vega ended the call and stared at his phone momentarily. For the first time in several years, the feeling of genuine worry weighed upon him. He kept it well for her over the phone. That was through his years of personally gained experience in the mode of icy dead complacency. He in all truth worried for her and as well as his unborn child. The uncertainty in this process in addition to having knowledge of what Bison was capable of had provided solid and sound reason for these very real and human feelings.

It came to him. He had an idea. From checking online information, he was able to gather in the contact information for the MI-6 sector of the British Intelligence Agency. Through reasons of secrecy, no specific details had been given for the logistics on the Delta Red sector; though he had known all too well about them from informants Shadowlaw had working out in Great Britain. He quickly dialed the stock number provided, for purposes of reporting terrorist activities, and briefly listened to the commands.

After punching in the appropriate keys on the automated mapping system, a woman's voice answered requesting his initial inquiry. He said "I need to get in direct contact with Colonel Keith Wolfman of the Delta Red Force team.

The woman paused in hesitation. "Well sir," her voice was heavily coated with a British accent, "we cannot provide sensitive information to a civilian such as yourself. I would suggest that you leave a message for him with the general response team we have set up for the entire agency."

"Not acceptable…" he said coldly. "Not acceptable at all. I am certainly no ordinary civilian my dear."

"Well none the less you will have to—"

"I have information regarding the missing Delta Red Agent Cammy White." He interrupted defiantly. "I know her whereabouts, her condition, and her disposition. Now if you shall have me leave a message with the general response team, and have it take time to circulate onto Colonel Wolfman, further jeopardizing her well being then by all means…"

She was quiet momentarily perhaps in hesitation until she then somberly said "One moment sir. I will put you through to him directly."

***

The noise she heard from the third floor loft of the older house had scared young Amy Guile so. It entailed the sounds of unknown strange men shouting and yelling commandments, the sound of gunshots, fighting and the sound of her parents and the others screaming, as well as the wailing cries of her baby brother and sister. It had all scared her so that she uncontrollably wet herself. At this, which she believed herself to be, advanced age of eight, she could not have ever imagined that she would use the bathroom on herself. Yet in regard to such things, she could not have ever pictured being in this sheer state of fear either.

The men sounded big and scary, and she could tell there were a lot of them. Amy wanted to help her family and friends, she really wanted to, but she knew she was limited in her strength. Her Dad always told her that if an intruder was to ever forcibly enter the house, that she was to hide. The scenario was unlikely but in that moment of fear she did what had been previously told of her. She did not act of or curiosity, nor haste. No, in her eight year old mind, she acted out of an instinctual obedience that she rarely utilized.

She had been sleeping on the pullout couch on the opened third floor level of her home when she was awakened by the commotion. Instead of running to anyone's rescue, she promptly grabbed her pillow, her blanket and slid her small frame under the couch section beyond the pullout bed. It was tight and uncomfortable but necessary for her safety. The noise lasted several minutes until finally she heard them leave through the backdoor or the downstairs. The only sounds left to be heard now were Nathan and Leanne's wails.

In the stillness, now wet and uncomfortable, Amy waited for moments until she was certain the coast was clear. One of the intruders could have easily stayed behind in quiet secrecy just to wait for her to come out of hiding. But she knew she had to take that precaution where her small brother and sister were concerned. Her mommy and daddy had been taken and the role of responsibility had been shifted to her. In her young age she knew this.

Amy slid from under the confines of the couch, stood, and began to making her way across the room and down the set of stairs.

The infants continued to scream.

She began her journey downstairs. The coppery odor of blood suddenly lifted in her nostrils the closer she got to the second floor.

Amy wanted to scream but didn't. Her Aunt Eliza lay there on the floor of the upstairs hallway. Blood had turned her golden blonde hair to a deep shade of red and the wooden floors around her had also taken that effect. A broken door, pieces of glass and smashed furniture was littered around her body, confirming that there had indeed been a struggle.

Amy knelt down by her side and examined her mother's sister carefully. Apparently the bad guys had wanted to make her appear shameful in addition to hurting her. Her robe sat open exposing bare skin, and Amy was compelled to cover her nakedness, taking the robe and concealing her like so. She then tilted her head over to the side of the injury to curiously see the damage that had been done.

The deep scraping wound had grazed along the surface of skin on the right side of Eliza's temple and more blood sprayed fervently from the site. She instantly removed her urine soaked pajama bottoms to compress the wound, it was all she could find in that tensed and quickened moment.

In lieu of the horrific sight caused her to break into an uncontrollable sob. Amy quickly stood to find the phone. She had learned a countless amount of times in school; the information reiterated over and over in her brain that it was essential to call 911 in the event of an emergency. She couldn't of think herself in that moment, her own pain and fear had to be laid aside.

Upon journeying into her parents' bedroom in search of her siblings and the phone, she almost found herself tripping over another body; a strange man whom she did not recognize. He was dressed in what looked like military gear, face concealed so that she could not decipher whether he was awake or not. He also smelled bad. The fear by this time had built up in her again. What if he was faking his injury?

However Amy knew she had to get her brother and sister out of there, regardless of how she felt. She tip toed around the man and when he didn't reach up to grab her she figured he had died.

Nathan and Leanne were on the floor in front of the bed, their faces red from squealing. She immediately ran to their side and gathered them both into their arms.

"It's okay…" she cooed to them, "I'm here for you; I'll be brave for you." Tears began to slide from her eyes, feeling far more inadequate than what she was trying to portray for them.

The familiarity in her voice must've calmed them both. Their screams tapered off into small whimpers and then they were surprisingly silent. Amy rocked them for a few moments knowing she had to call the police. Therefore with some difficulty, she gathered them both and placed them upon the bed while she continued in her search of the phone. From there they started to wail once more.

She made her way around the other side of the bed in the attempt to pull the phone from the nightstand. It was there that she spotted Sub.

The dog lay there bleeding from his side, and when she approached him he opened his eyes. His expression etched with pain and he had been debilitated from his injury. Amy wondered if the gunshots she'd heard from upstairs had been executed on him, her Aunt Eliza and the unknown dead man lying on the floor just a few feet away.

"Oh no Sub!" She cried.

In response he gave a soft mellowed whimper.

She stooped down and stroked the fur on his head as he weakly licked her wrists. Tears continued to pour from her eyes. "God please don't let him die." She wailed out. "He didn't do anything to deserve this."

Sub again whined. He was usually such a hyper and vivacious dog. Therefore seeing him like he was, bloodied, injured and debilitated had somewhat disturbed her small mind.

Calling for help was vital now; this was a life or death situation. Amy stood promptly to grab the phone from the nightstand and on the side her mother slept. When she opened the line from the receiver, she found that it was dead and there was no dial tone. They certainly must have cut it. She needed to find a cell phone.

She hurried back out of the bedroom, trying to stay mindful of the man on the floor.

In the hallway, Eliza had remained laying in the floor, her condition uncertain. On the staircase laid another man she hadn't noticed before, just like the man she saw in the bedroom, his face had also been concealed.

Amy ran by the scene and into the bedroom in which Eliza and Ken had occupied. The light had been left on allowing her to immediately spot the cell phone belonging to Ken on the nightstand. She grabbed the hi-tech device and began to touch dial the 911 numbers across the screen.

In no time the voice of a female operator was heard reciting, "911 operator what's your emergency?"

"Um… somebody took my parents and their friends from our house." She said nervously. "Please hurry! My dog, my Aunt Eliza!"

The operator had seemed to recognize that Amy was just a child and her tone had softened. "What's your name honey?"

"My name is Amy Samantha Guile. I live at 101 Richland Avenue"

"And you said your parents were taken from the residence?"

"Yes and their friends that were staying here for Thanksgiving. Some bad people came in and took them away and left me here with my baby brother and baby sister. They're twins and they're only a week old. Please hurry my Aunt Eliza and my dog are hurt really bad! I don't want them to die!" More tears streamed in between her heightened sobs.

"Okay honey, it's going to be alright. I've dispatched some officers out there; I'll stay on the line until they arrive. Is there an adult I can speak to?" the woman asked her.

"Only me, I'm the only one not hurt and my brother and sister seem okay, but they can't talk yet."

"I can hear them crying. Are they okay?"

"They're scared." Amy said wiping her own tears away. She knew she still had to remain strong; if not for herself, then for them.

"Is there anyone else in the house besides your aunt and dog?"

"There are two men here. They came in with the other bad men and I think my daddy killed one of them."

"You mean there are intruders still in the house?"

"Yes, but they're not moving, I think they died…"

It was in just a matter of minutes that the police arrived. Instead of knocking they immediately barged through the door, sounding much like the intruders had earlier. Amy waited for them at the top of the staircase, not wanting to venture further beyond that. Right behind them were paramedics, who were ready to work on Eliza and the two men. No sooner did an animal rescue team come in and take care of her injured dog Sub. Their conditions had remained uncertain but she was hopeful all the same.

After giving them her detailed account of what had happened, she watched on somberly as the medical officials took Eliza and the two men away. Surprisingly there had also been a third man found unconscious in the room occupied by Ryu.

Amy and her two siblings were later taken into child protective services, where she was again question further by another set of men that appeared to be more officially important than the NYPD. Judging by the letters dawned across the back of their winter jackets and the front of their hats; she knew enough to know that they were with the FBI. In her young eight year old mind, she didn't know the extent of what was transpiring, but she was comforted in gaining the calming sense that these people were doing everything in their power to bring back her Mommy, Daddy and their friends.


	14. Time is of the Essence

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

**Time is of the Essence**

**C**olonel Keith Wolfman, leading commander of the MI-6 special operations force known as Delta Red had a very sound reason to believe the mysterious caller on the line had actually known the whereabouts of agent Cammy White. There were so many crazy people in the world with various odd reasoning's for wanting to seek attention, yet there was also reason to believe his claim. Shadowlaw had remained a constant and ever-present menace to not only to the society of Great Britain, but to the rest of the world as well. And in his participation with Interpol he had learned all of the heinous deeds that had been solely connected to them.

As the number of investigations performed by the various worldwide agencies had surmounted, it was kept in agreement by Interpol to keep any information about the case away from the media until it was solved entirely. Yet there was no doubt that this particular caller was involved somewhere with Shadowlaw, and for reasons unknown, he had decided to reveal their chain of circuit. Wolfman's suspicion had served him correctly, for there had certainly been a strong correlation between the infamous crime syndicate and Agent White's disappearance.

She had disappeared months ago, and until now, Delta Red was faced with a string of dead ends in regards to her whereabouts. Wolfman was sure Shadowlaw was related to her capture, but there was never enough evidence to prove his claim until now.

As the man spoke on Wolfman was not disappointed by the wealth of information known by the caller. It was so in-depth, he was certain the caller had close contact with Cammy at some point in her captivity. His knowledge of her Badge ID number and agent credentials had proven that much.

"It's been conformed into a numeric system…" man had explained to him. Judging by the thick accent relayed in speech, Wolfman was at least able to distinguish that he was from somewhere in the continent of Europe; perhaps in either Spain, Portugal or even Italy.

"A numeric system?" Wolfman repeated back in the form of a question.

"Correct. A portion of her credential number has been applied to the device that was planted into her skull, as an ID factor…"

During the time of that strange phone call, the stranger had given not only information regarding how they had manipulated her mind through use of methodical mind control, but he had also given an active location of where both she and her offender would be found. The caller knew about Delta Red's investigation into the Shadowlaw circuit with the informative help of Interpol, and it was then confirmed to him that Cammy disappearance was in fact related to the syndicate. Wolfman was also given specific instructions on where to fly in and how to even access the hidden underground building. No stone was left unturned.

Wolfman knew that Delta Red could not act immediately alone on this new information. In the instance that this was an intricate ploy to be caught as well by Shadowlaw, then he would have to be prepared to contact the special ops division of MI-6 as well as other law enforcement agencies around the globe. There would have to be enough man power to take on whatever imposed threat they might face once arriving in Bangkok.

"There is one more vital piece of information I'd like to give you before I end this conversation." the caller spoke casually.

"What's that chap?" he asked.

"There were approximately four or five people taken hostage by Shadowlaw just recently out of New York City; important people might I add…"

"Who are they?"

"One of them is a young woman by the name of Chun-Li Xiang. She is the only daughter of the late ICE agent Dorai Xiang… and she's in a delicate condition. If you find her before I do…" His voice softened as it trailed off. There was passion in his tone.

Wolfman had known Agent Xiang. He worked with him a countless number of times regarding the exchange of information within Interpol. The worldwide federal law enforcement community was devastated by the news of his death. There had been nobody like him; a valuable asset amongst the ranks of detectives and agents alike; and Wolfman knew there would not be another of his caliber.

"Then what, what do you mean by delicate condition, out with it!" Wolfman coerced the voice on the other line.

Instead he muttered, "…forget it…" The tension in his voice indicated a regret of sorts. Perhaps he had revealed too much

Hastily now, Wolfman pressed for more information, before the inevitability of the call's termination. "Then tell me, who are the others? You said there were about four or five. We must be able to get to all of them before—"

"I don't care about them," the voice snapped in instability.

"Well then how do I know this isn't a trap?" Wolfman demanded that time. He could tell this was now getting nowhere. He had to know who these hostages were. "Shadowlaw could be very well using you to trap us in. Is that not a likely possibility?"

The caller seemed amused by his rational. "Use your head Colonel. You're a smart man, otherwise you would not be in the position you are in, am I not correct? Therefore planning, a breakdown of structure and final execution should take you a very long way," his cutting laugh was almost demeaning.

Wolfman felt his frustration rise from within. He wanted to tell this lunatic, who obviously lacked regard for human life, that he was wasting time and that it would be important to cooperate by giving away as much information as he possibly could. There were a countless number of questions to ask of him, so many that he couldn't even know where to begin asking. However yet and still the other line went silent.

In full blown frustration he slammed the phone back onto its receiver knocking its entirety onto the floor. The commotion brought instant attention of watchful eyes into the window of his office.

"Is everything alright Colonel?" A young blonde woman asked placing herself into the doorway of his office.

Instead of responding immediately Wolfman furrowed his brow with his thumb and forefinger in a stressful contemplation. Naturally his first concern was Agent White. Her life and safety was of most importance at this point in the conceptual game plan, but he knew that he could not act in haste of his emotions. He had to call in for a strategy.

The woman, who stood there before him was named Lita Luwanda. A fellow member of the Delta Red Force, she had worked alongside Cammy in addition to the other three agents aligned in that special op team. They were like no other sector of MI-6, consisting of highly trained operatives specifically designed to play out special missions. Much of their work was often compared to that of the Special Forces squad within the United States Army.

"I just had a phone call come through, from a man who was possibly affiliated with Shadowlaw." For the purpose of wanting to cut to the chase, Wolfman didn't wait for a response from her, and was adamant on continuing. "He claimed to know the whereabouts of Agent White, as well as the man responsible. We need an immediate course of action. To ensure this is no trap, I will contact Interpol to have as many in line agents dispatched as I can. I need you to get on the phone with the Chief of Staff's office and relay what I have just told you. We need to hurry! " His impatience was very effective, in times of stress

Luwanda seemed caught off guard by this recent news. Her expression fettered by the sudden circumstance of the moment. Yet without another word, she hastily left.

In no time, the team that was able to trace the call contacted him via his cell phone. "We couldn't get you on your main direct line," they informed him.

Wolfman stared down at the desk phone that he had sprawled across the floor. "My line isn't working at the moment." He told them.

"We were able to trace the call to a cell tower in the Northern portion of Argentina, near the Bolivian border. It is obviously situated nowhere near Bangkok, do we need to dispatch some investigators out there?"

"I would have some agents check it out, but our main focus will be the location he indicated," he commanded. Wolfman could feel that something major was about to blow over in all of this, a rush of anticipation flooded his thought process. He had to prepare himself and the others to leave out there no later than mid-afternoon. It was approximately 7:00 am, and the day was just starting.

Cammy was important to him beyond the levels of profession, and for this reason he was driven by more than just the re-obtaining of her excellence as an agent. Truly fate had taken an abrupt turn for the better, for it was until that point that he and the others had feared her to be dead. And if the mystery caller was truly right in his words then there was a chance for her to return. It wasn't really a sound and sturdy lead but it was all they had. Delta Red had to act, and they had to act now for time was of the essence.

***

Chun-Li didn't know when she had fallen asleep, but as she came to, she thought she heard a voice whisper to her. "_Eliza is going to be fine_…" Initially confused she came to and found herself once more in her awful predicament. Shadowlaw had them in captivity and the uncertainly of their circumstance continued to mount her with worry for a variety of reasons.

Having been blindfolded and gagged, her legs and arms were bound and situated with one another as she laid there on the cold metal floor of some unknown location. Her body ached terribly from the brutality she had endured from those intruders and from the way her body had been positioned and unmoved for such a long period of time. In addition to the discomfort, her womb contracted and the child moved and resituated itself within her.

Now in her state of blindness and inability to speak, Chun-Li could only remain there listening. Judging by the sensation of her ears constricting with pressure and the earlier uncanny notion her body felt at take-off, she had guessed she was on a jet that was headed off into some dark and ominous unknown. The engine hummed loudly beneath her causing the supporting floor to vibrate with the motion.

In that moment her mind was on the unknown disembodied voice that recently whispered to her. _Eliza is going to be fine_; just what did that mean exactly? With the use of her perceptual senses, she attempted to decipher whether the presence of another was with her, yet in return there was an empty stillness that only gave her the feeling that she was in fact alone.

Chun-Li thought of her friends in her constricting stance of captivity and had wondered if they were alright. Where were they? What were they doing? Were they in the same jet? Were they even alive? Her mind then went to the children, Amy, the babies, and she wondered if they were spared by the brutality that was inflicted in the household that evening prior. In her mind she prayed hard for them above all, and it far surpassed the concerns of her own safety and wellbeing.

Several moments seemed to pass onward and the ever present stillness was prevalent first and foremost. In the dark dreary and overall long drawn-out still of silences was the undecipherable notion between consciousness and unconsciousness. Overtime the endlessness of if all became nothing but a large distortion to her clarity and innate measurement of time.

Chun-Li thought she may have been in the faraway distant mist of a dream when they pulled her from the cargo space of the jet in which she had been kept. Her bound legs were freed as she was made to stand and walk. Unknown hands roughly manhandled her with the ill-realization and perhaps overall insensitivity to her delicate condition.

"Were in Africa…" a disdainful tone said. It was the voice of the man that initially pulled her from the bathroom in the brutal and frenzied infiltration. According to Vega this voice had belonged to Mike Balrog. "We need to make a pit-stop so I'd advise you to use the bathroom while you can."

Given that her mouth was bound by the gag, she was only able to produce muffled moans in response to his suggestion. The sudden feeling of an abrupt pain and sharp pressure was felt across her cheek-bone and temple as he forcefully struck her face with an object unknown. The tight sensation filtered along the contours of her entire face, her neck jerked to the side abruptly unanticipated by the blow.

"Shut-up! Someone will lead you there, just shut-it!"

As if on cue she was blindly led into an undisclosed location. A fear of what could be done to her in that vulnerable moment seized her with worry and because of her recent and troubling experiences concerning her own vulnerability; the notion lingered upon her all the more. However she would find that her fear was void of cause. Chun-Li could only guess that they lead her up a flight of stairs and into what she could only figure was the passenger portion of the jet. Hands pushed her along until they stopped.

"Bathroom's in there," another voice said. "Hurry it up."

Her hands were still bound behind her back. Perhaps they feared she would revolt once more, but Chun-Li knew she was outnumbered and she wouldn't ever do anything so foolish. Within the tightly enclosed stall before the opened commode, she managed to pull down her pants, where she relieved herself upon sitting. She was thankful they had enough heart to let her go and had imagined that most captors would've marveled in the sight of their hostages wallowing in the shame of their own bodily filth and corruption.

The moments which followed were uneventful, as she was escorted into her cargo space enclosure. She didn't hear her friends and by now had figured they had been kept in the other cargo spaces provided along the bottom exterior of the jet. The set-up was largely inhumane and terribly shallow but it could have been worse.

As she was placed inside the seemingly small space she heard Balrog speak again. "We should probably make this trip less painful for them; we still got a long ways to go!"

"Yes…"another man agreed.

Without further warning from behind, Chun-Li was suddenly struck unconscious. All form of mental clarity instantly faded.

***

Victor Sagat obsessively had his mind set on defeating Ryu in the purpose of regaining back the dignity he'd lost in that battle. In the days leading up to this moment it was all he could think about; his mind well marinated in the anticipation of it all. It was like an infestation upon thoughts that raided the norm of mental process, interfered with sleep patterns and even sabotaged his dreams. In his spare time he trained hard, pushed every fibrous muscle to the max, and focused it his mind on only winning.

He stood there in the main control room alongside Bison, arms were folded as he watched them escort the five captors before them. As in his perceived mode of callousness, brought on by his disdainful expression and rather thoughtless facade of pretentiousness, deep down Sagat pitied them. If only he had not been weighed down by the thumb of Shadowlaw, and in his own right been a prisoner by circumstance. Perhaps he would have reached out to them, and even come to their aid and guiltlessly defended them. Still in the end, he remained there tight lipped and without words or backed actions, and his own lack of formal initiative angered him.

"You will bow down to Lord Bison!" one foot soldier adamantly proclaimed.

The girl who was obviously with child, the same girl whom he had met under a falsified alias at the tournament all those months ago was forcefully thrown to the floor first. Where her arms were bound behind her back, she was unable to catch herself and therefore she fell forward of her face and stomach, letting out a frustrated and tired cry. Much like her fellow captors, her expression was worn with pain and physical exhaustion. It was obvious even through the signs of batter and abuse across her face that she was quite lovely, bright and most of the time spirited. Sagat could see this shining virtue within her, regardless of her unfortunate circumstance. In seeing this, she reminded him of someone.

Bison was sickly delighted in this pitiful sight. "Miss Xiang I presume, what do I owe the honor of this occasion? It is of the utmost pleasure to finally meet you in person. After all this hype about your father, and the damage he inflicted before his death, it would only seem fitting to meet you, his only offspring in person."

Chun-Li dared to respond. Perhaps she had sensed the violent nature of the outcome if she had indeed spoken in brash anger. Instead she was quiet, her dead eyes remained at a solemn downcast.

Next to her was his ill-fated opponent Ryu, who was also restrained. His eyes burned fiercely as he was forced down to his knees to humbly bow as told.

He felt Bison's eyes on him. "Ah Sagat, if it isn't the man who ruined your hope for a continued prestigious career…"

Instead of responding to the harsh and spiteful words spoken by the dictator, Sagat found his eyes locked to Ryu in a silent exchange of challenge. They stared on for moments until Bison spoke to him in a lowered tone that contained just as much malice. "…and wouldn't it be ideal to know that once we get this exceptional young man fully integrated with C.H.I.M.P. and he proves to be an iconic Shadowlaw warrior, that he will ultimately replace you and your old and tired excuse for fighting?" Bison laughed at him.

Sagat at any other time would have been stirred in his emotions over these low blows and degrading insults to his integrity. It was after all what Bison wanted; to see him anger and rise off in a responsively feral rage to such ego degradation. But Sagat grew tired. The berating words spoken in the wake of his defeat against Ryu all those months ago were incessant to the despondent point of numbness. He was too old for this game. He knew if anything, integrity strength and honor were not brought forth by words of disdain, but through words that uplifted words that inspired, and words that encouraged. Perhaps in that mindset, there was a wonder why he hadn't defeated Ryu in the first place. For mind over matter was key…

The third young man placed next to Ryu struggled with the foot soldiers and against his restraints momentarily, until he was forcefully subdued with violent pummels by the butt end of M-4 rifles. Above all the others amongst him, and for reasons initially unknown by Sagat, he was by far was most plagued by the circumstance. His eyes were red and glazed over; they burned with an unfathomable rage. "You killed her! YOU BASTARDS! YOU MUDERED HER FOR WHAT!? WHAT DID SHE DO!?" Again he was silenced with more attacks. Sagat understood now, he was grieving.

"That's enough!" Bison snapped in response to the battering. "He is of next importance and we need him unharmed as stated before you imbeciles." Sagat watched on as Bison's eyes regarded the young man with keen interest. "I see your spirit of unfettered anger young Kenneth Masters. I'm sure this little flaw about you does your Daddy proud. There was only one other person who's eyes I'd seen show such hatred and fury." He turned to Sagat amused by Ken's grief induced outburst. "Do you remember the way Vega looked all those years when those officials pulled him from his home drenched in the blood of his stepfather Gustav, that man who murdered his mother?"

Instead of a verbal response Sagat only nodded. It was both he and Bison who first happened upon the grisly scene all those years ago. Romano Gustav worked for Bison as a high-end narcotic connection for Shadowlaw. A major deal had gone through in Catalonia and they ventured to his home to get more detailed information regarding the transaction. What they found was far from what they were hoping to see. Even to this day Bison regarded the happening in the same manner a normal person would cherish the memory of a wedding, the birth of a child or a college graduation.

"He gutted that poor man like the day's catch, do you remember that Sagat? The blood, the entrails, everywhere, what a mess! Do you remember how he looked when they stray jacketed him and placed him in that institution? Those crazed eyes of his were no longer his own; but something much more sinister. A ravaged and spiteful demonic creature had taken full control of young Vega that day, and he turned out to be quite useful to us for many long years. Did you just see it in his eyes Sagat!?" Bison demandingly called out, his tone quivered with a strange instability. He was mad, and the progression of his age had only worsened the condition.

Bison let out a sinister laugh, "I would bet on my life Sagat that if we release him from his chains right now and let him have at us, that he'd do the same. Maybe our blood and guts will decorate this floor and create some color in this darken room." His depthless eyes turned towards Ken. "I can see that perhaps you shall be of the same use as Vega was mister Masters."

In response Ken let out an almost inhuman scream that sounded throughout the control room. In turn he was silenced with yet another forceful blow to the temple. Both exhausted and tired from the episode he collapsed to the ground, his sobs of anguish began to taper off in the tense moment

"Bison you're insane! Let us go, what do you want from us!?" another voice shouted from the back of the room. As Mike Balrog slowly escorted the man inside Sagat immediately recognized him as the CID agent for the United States Military, Major William Guile. He was spitefully shoved into the floor like the others, following him was a woman that was presumed his wife.

"We thought you may have been interested in dealing with him as well," Balrog said fervently, "Especially since he did work with Agent Xiang."

Bison's smile was surprisingly coy in nature, contrary to the rest if his exterior. He took Guile in for a moment almost contemplatively. "Ah yes…" He finally spoke on, "I actually have something very special for you Guile…"

"Do whatever you want to me!" Guile growled, "But please don't hurt my wife. Julia has nothing to do with this! Just let her go!"

In response to his pleading Julia was struck spitefully across her already bruised face by one of the foot soldiers who stood by. Guile struggled and pushed against his restraints in a failed attempt to come to her aid. It was pitiful to see, but Sagat remained there stunted by his inability to help.

From across the way he felt eyes on him again. Upon looking over he found that Chun-Li was staring at him. Silent tears streamed down as her dark eyes discretely plead with his. It was as if they could sense the well-meaning of his secret intent. She held within her eyes something that he had not seen in their prior encounters. Her eyes could see through him. They knew without knowledge, saw without seeing, and they seemingly searched his inner most hopes and fears by a simple gaze. It was those eyes of her… so familiar… He had to look away.

Sagat stood there plotting in his mind. If Bison didn't possess the strength he had then perhaps… It would not have been an easy feat alone to defeat him but in knowing the capabilities of those other worthy fighters out there, shamed in their captivity… They were no different than he in a sense. Yet the thing he lacked most that he saw in all of them was an ever-bonding sense of conviction. They chose to go against what was wrong and make a stand regardless of their miniscule circumstance, while he shamed himself deeper by following where the wind took him, and giving into the unsatisfied hunger for money. Was it worth all the years of disappointment it brought him? Was it really all worth it?

He stood there by Bison's side, on the outside appearing like a loyal and faithful servant to a mad-man who lacked depth, morality and a soul; a hollowed out terror machine. Yet his inner most self stood at the fence peering over into what was to be desired, and there he saw the vibrant green grass of true virtue

_Now if only there was a way…_

"Pathetic sights aren't they Sagat?" Bison asked, continuing in his callous criticism.

That time he did not respond but Bison didn't seem to notice, or much less even care. "I'm through," he turned his attention over to the series of foot soldiers that restrained both Guile and his wife. "Take these two down to the subsection B and have them meet our ongoing in-house experiment. I think Guile will be delighted with what I've done to him…"

Before the Major had time to voice his opinion or even give a word of protest, the two were forcefully led away by Balrog and his accompanied captors. In the distance Julia's anguished sobs still rang throughout the high ceilinged room.

Regarding Ryu and Ken, Bison then ordered "Take these two out to the process lab; we will start the initial integration stages of C.H.I.M.P. right away. I want this started quickly!"

"Yes sir," one young punk guard respectfully obliged.

Ryu's eyes locked with Sagat's as both he and Ken were carried away. Could he really just stand by and watch this all happen? Fighting was his passion, not any of these other things. In what way could this have all been even remotely associated?

Once the others were gone it was now only Chun-Li who remained. She kneeled there in her same mode of defeat but stayed ever-silent, waiting for the order given for her demise.

"Now onto you…" Bison began as he stared at her. "What excites me the most about this situation is knowing that the father of this child possessed the ideal homicidal nature that we were seeking. Of course it did not surface until much later on in his life, but I look forward to knowing how this child, he or she will fair once our own manipulation has been applied to combat with what will already be innate. It's a shame that Vega won't be around for any of this, don't you think so my dear?"

Chun-Li kept her eyes at a trodden downcast without words to follow.

"He was a traitor to everything that Shadowlaw stood for and as a result he was destined to only die. Perhaps you were his problem. He turned quite contrary to his character there towards his end. His air of nobility changed and turned away from my favor. He let puny emotions get in the way of what was most important, his allegiance to me and only me."

The silence was toxic that time but soon broken by another one of the dictators horrific laughs. "Take her to the genetic lab and begin the injection process. It is actually better that we do it at this point. The fetus is now more significant in size, and the team of doctors will know which areas to work on first."

Bison could not have stooped so low could he? As they dragged her away Sagat once again met her eyes. Tears shimmered in them and he was touched by this, but yet and still he found he could do nothing. Just what exactly did Bison intend to do to her and that developing child? There was no time to find out, there had to be a way to stop this in whatever manner there was. Time was of the essence.


	15. Matter of Life and Death

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

**Matter of Life and Death**

Hands roughly escorted her through the dark corridors of a place unknown and unfamiliar. Chun-Li wondered if they were still in Africa as first indicated by Balrog, however this notion would later prove that she wasn't. Though she was calm on the outside, the ominous shroud of fear blanketed her.

Despair and fear; these were the unwanted and never-forsaking companions who seemed to go hand-in-hand with her these past few months. Her heart searched for an opening for this to end but within the shadowing effects the she felt only endless darkness. For the vision of light was nowhere in to be found.

She was taken into a dimly lit inlet area that roughly reminded her of a diagnostics room within a medical facility. There were a series of monitoring machines readily unrecognized for their purpose, along with a long white table that she instantly identified as belonging in an operating room.

Without warning the entirety of her clothing was removed cut away with medical scissors, including undergarments. Now naked, Chun-Li was all the more vulnerable. She hunkered down some in her stance and wanted to cover herself, but the restraints prevented her from doing so. The men that surrounded her made her nervous, and she wondered what their purpose was in removing her clothing.

She had seen Shadowlaw's displays of devious actions towards her and her friends, it would not have surprised in that moment if they had attempted a forceful gang rape of nature. In fact at this point nothing would have. Their devious capabilities were endless.

"Let's get this started at once!" A voice called from the direction of the entrance way. In walked an older gentleman dressed in a white lab coat. He had a neatly primed and pointed mustache with thick wavy hair to match. He was a tad flamboyant in nature and when he spoke his accent sounded German. "We must begin the process immediately, now if we could get the specimen onto the table." Behind him entered in a younger man with longish dark hair and thick bifocals who also dressed in a white lab coat. Judging by the appearance upon observation of the first gentleman she could only guess that he was some sort of assistant.

In no time Chun-Li was released from her cuffs and forced onto the table before her. As she lay down her arms were held above her head and her legs were slightly straddled, where they were securely fastened down by thick Velcro straps to instill minimal to no movement. It was a humiliating experience. As it was an ensured confirmation that she would not be going anywhere, the two foot soldiers who had escorted her inside were dismissed and she was now alone with them.

In the back of her mind she had hoped for a change of process. This was a sad notion but she even halfway hoped Vega would enter the room and slash their throats for the purpose of coming to her aid. She could have never pictured wanting to see him anymore for any supposed purpose but this was a desperate situation and anything would have to do.

As they tightened the strap and pierced her inner arm to start the initial IV drip she squeezed her eyes shut and just prayed. She prayed hard. In this circumstance a miracle was called for; a change of heart in someone, a realization in the darkened interior of an empty Shadowlaw servant; a sense of justice and the need to make it all right.

The first doctor momentarily looked over her nude body with a lustful interest. How shameful it all was. Then he spoke, "I'm Doctor Hurst, and I will be performing the integration process onto the fetus that is inside of you. There have of course been many failed attempts on prior test subjects but with the information that the late Dr. Luvco left behind on his brilliant work and research, we believe we have finally come up with the right balance of hormonal measurement and other permanent mind altering chemicals that can enable this child to respond to whatever controlling information it is fed once we come on. That was Dr. Luvco's final wish… to achieve the final correct dosage. And I have done it. His senseless death was surely not in vain!" The look in his eyes showed a triumphant passion. They were all mad, every last one of them. To allow such despicable and unthinkable acts go on, such foul manipulation, to play the role of God on people's lives was beyond disturbing. In that moment Chun-Li found herself utterly disgusted with humanity.

Dr. Hurst then referred to the quiet man that had accompanied him. "Behind me here is Doctor Fountoulakis, he will be assisting me in my work and learning as much as he can so that he too can contribute his genius into such a worthy cause." His repulsive hand stroked her hair as he spoke, "this world is going on a fast train into the pits of hell; a world that is struggling for a one world government amongst the other many terrible things. But it is only Lord Bison, his vision and his genius… What we need to start life anew… You and your child my dear are noble martyrs in the early stage of taking charge over what is right. Do you not find honor in that?"

Was he serious? This Bison, whom he regarded in that moment as a saint, or a savior along the truly unmatched caliber of Jesus Christ himself, was the same man who ordered her father to be murdered, the same man who had a strong influence in the world-wide drug cartels, weapons and drug smuggling, human trafficking; he was now also the same man who viciously forced her friends from a cozy safe haven, friends who were beaten, battered and even killed in senseless violence. This was the same man who was ordering her baby to withstand unfathomable torture and experiments. How could this man be talking about the same person? Just what good could Bison possibly contribute to this world?

"Excuse me…" Another deep voice spoke in that time to interrupt the speech given on Bison.

"What is it!?" Hurst sharply demanded. "You crazy fool can't you see I'm—" Hurst's demeanor suddenly changed when he turned to see Victor Sagat's hulking form standing behind him. "Oh! Mister Sagat I had no idea it was you. Please accept my apologies."

The towering man stood over his short dumpy exterior. He was without words at first and simply stared Hurst down in an attempt at wits. Clearly intimidated the Doctor lost to the staring match and turned his attention onto Chun-Li hesitantly. He suddenly seemed disoriented and sidetracked from his current mission.

"Lord Bison requests my monitoring of this performed procedure. He is down in the lab to overlook the initial integration process of C.H.I.M.P. on Ryu Hoshi and Ken Masters. In his absence I shall be his eyes and ears here." He brought his face downward and focused his stare menacingly on Hurst. "Got a problem with that?"

"N-no sir, please…" his laugh was nervous, "please allow me to demonstrate what we will be doing."

Chun-Li kept her eyes on him the entire time he was there, yet she sensed that out of respect for the fact that she was shamefully uncovered, he refused to look her way. She could sense that.

From a series of medical contraptions, Hurst retrieved a long syringe-like needle that contained a clear red liquid substance. It had to have been at least eight fluid ounces, a lot for such a small baby who by now should have weighed only a little over one pound. As he began his directional speech of explanation he brought the needle forward to her bare protruding stomach. From the other side of her, Dr. Fountoulakis rolled a monitor on wheels to where she was. Chun-Li knew the device was an ultrasound machine, possibly to detect where the injection would go into her baby. Her gut twisted in anguish as she prepared herself for what was to come next. The tip of the needle began to dig into her skin as the warm gelled scope picked up the image the unborn child. "Mister Sagat, first we shall find a main artery in the child. This is where the initial injection site will be."

Chun-Li could not tell what she was looking at on the grainy black screen. She never was able to tell on those things. Fountoulakis finally stopped the scope on a particular spot. "There, the jugular vein…" he directed, his voice was soft and sounded almost kind. Very contrary from the devious act he was partaking in.

Chun-Li gripped the sheets tightly as Hurst began to insert the needle into her belly. An intense and pressured pain instantly gripped the walls of her extended abdominal muscles and she wanted to cry out. "You see mister Sagat. It is important to know where you are sticking; one wrong move and ultimately either she or the child could die." He dug the long needle in further to the point of where it was now showing on the monitor. "Now I—" Before the doctor had a chance to finish Sagat let out a spiteful grunt and forcefully struck him with his massive fist at the base of the neck between his shoulder blades.

As the Doctor began to fall, Sagat quickly took a hold of the needle and pulled it from her abdomen before it could do any serious damage to her or her Chun-Li. He then took the sharp pointed syringe and buried it between the man's should blades allowing some of the vile fluid to somehow sync within. While his sudden action was unexpected, Chun-Li found that she was not surprised; prayer does work after all and it the timing of it was perfect

Fountoulakis cried out in a feared surprise from the opposite side of the operating table. Sagat menacingly looked down at him and in a reflexive reaction and the assistant doctor attempted to hoist the corded scope his way. The large man caught the device and brought his massive hand across her body to grab the now defenseless doctor by the lapels of his lab coat. They met heads forcibly in a head butt and Sagat brought the smaller man's entire body over the table and hastily down onto the floor where Hurst laid either injured or dead. There Sagat stomped him repeatedly with his large powerful foot, Chun-Li could start to hear the sickening sound of crunching bones until all was still.

In the silence, Sagat composed himself and looked down into her eyes expressionless; Chun-Li stared back at a loss for words. This was the same man that ran the fighting tournament all those months ago, the same man that in a way got her involved into the predicament she was in with Bison. He exploited her skillful fighting techniques for some selfish and unknown purpose and now he was helping her. Why? Exactly what was the deal with this sudden change of heart?

Again mindful of her nudity and out of a seemingly gentleman-like respect he quickly shut his eyes and turned away to search the confines of the room. In a nearby supply closet by the entranceway he retrieved what looked like a set of medical scrubs. He then also pulled out what looked to be a blanket that appeared unused and new. Sagat unfolded it and without looking, he covered her body respectfully. He then turned to face her again.

Chun-Li smiled at him in relief, but he did not return the favor. Instead he placed the scrubs over her now covered form and began to remove the IV that was lodged in her arm and to undo the Velcro straps that bounded her legs and arms. The transaction was quiet and when she was able to sit up on the table he said, "I see your clothes are cut up on the floor, so you should put these on. I tried finding a size that might fit but they may still be a bit big on you."

Chun-Li sighed, this initial moment of relief was invigorating and she didn't know how to initially describe it. "Thank you… I don't know why you're doing this but thank you!" She stood to grab her underwear from the floor; they were the only things left to still be intact. While she dressed Sagat waited, his back turned toward her.

"I've disabled the cameras in this room, so initially Bison won't know what happened in here until he discovers that were gone."

"Please we have to save my friends as well, Guile, Ryu and Ken… we have to find them."

"Don't worry, I know where they are but you'll have to cooperate with me." Sagat paused momentary to think to himself. It was if he were having a moment of realized truth in his actions.

"What is it?" she asked.

"A lot of people roam these halls in here. You'll have to appear like you're still kept prisoner here with me."

"So I'll need to be handcuffed?"

Sagat nodded, "it's only temporary until I can get you into a safer place."

Chun-Li looked down to regard the two men who now lay still on the floor before her. "What about them? What if they wake up?"

Sagat closed his one eye. "I really didn't want to do it… but, they won't be waking up. If they do, they won't have enough mental capacity to recall anything much less perform basic functions. I ensured that much."

Chun-Li again sighed. "Please I really don't know how to—"

"Quickly we must hurry before someone finds us in here." He brought forth the handcuffs and placed them on her again like so. For in a different manner, her hands were now ironically bound behind her back again as they entered out into the dark corridor.

***

During his trip to Bangkok and even now as he made his trek out towards the Shadowlaw Headquarters, Vega wrestled with the conflicting thoughts that turned within him. A waking contradiction he was in the face of adversity, in one respect holding this chivalrous desire of nobility, all while reducing himself down to a convoluted thought line of rationalization on why he should just turn around and leave. Could he really have cared deeply enough to brave such a bold attempt? Perhaps they were all better off dead. Every last one of them…

The dark jungle was purposely dense and thick; the humidity held within the tightly grown vines was almost suffocating even in this still night air. If he had not been well equipped with the sharp claw on his person, then ambulating through this thick green would have been an impossible undertaking.

Around him were the forest sounds of the night. Using his weapon as the dual mode of a scythe, he cut through the thick clustered green in attempts to make a trail towards the rocky plateau that encased the fortress.

Vega looked down to check the hand-held GPS navigator device that he brought with him. Some months ago he had mapped the coordinates on the fortress location using a program that was well interfaced with this computer. Back then it was purposeful to have in the event he would have to fly in for the many Shadowlaw business duties. Now it served as his guide, his source to lead him into a higher and perhaps much more allusive purpose.

For the very reason of this deep endless and even dangerous jungle, it was impossible to access Shadowlaw by no other means but through air transport. There were no road access, and had been none for hundreds of years. If he had the story correct, Vega was within the understanding of knowing that the land was once owned by a monastery of Buddhist monks, whom had since died off, and due to the remoteness of the location, it would not have been readily found on an ordinary map. Therefore it was up to him to find the well hidden place amongst the thick vegetation, and with his prior knowledge of the facility's structure, it would prove to be quite an easy task to accomplish despite the harshness of the rugged surroundings.

And even then, there were still a few miles to go before actually hitting the base, but Shadowlaw owned much of the land out there and the area perimeter and the amount of security that was kept on hand was quite intricate and like always he had to stay one step ahead. He knew foot soldiers took post at night, to stay on look-out for any potential threat which may have been posed.

However Vega also knew the disposition of many of the young men who were hired for the job. In their short time of working for Shadowlaw, many of them never even had the experience of dealing with a real security breach from the outside and could only guess their sense of awareness was not as sharp as someone who'd been through the realization of terror. Because of this, Vega held even more of an advantage, and in addition to that he ensured he was prepared for just about anything.

In all typicality such a feat would have been well beneath his class of person, for walking through dirt, brush, and a nature-like setting was not typically something that would engage him. Yet in recent months he had been forced to take a stance on a sort of quality of life that he had never been exposed to. He had grown accustomed allowing this current task to be more tolerable in a sense of where it would not have before.

Before long he had reached the secured outer-perimeter of Shadowlaw that was now situated along the increasingly steepened hillside. Crouching down he peered through the night-vision goggles alongside the hilly land before him. The southwest guard post that stood about one hundred meters ahead was erect high enough to where it was just under the canopy of towering trees. They didn't see him there, the pair of watch guards who stood on post to scope the perimeter. They were supposed to be surveying the area however they were doing nothing of the sort.

Vega would have surely thought by now, after the hostages had been brought in that these men would be made aware of the happenings and to stand guard on what or even who would possibly be following their devious actions. This wasn't the case here however; prioritized security had been furthest from their mind and in that moment it appeared as if joking and laughter had been a forefront. Vega smirked to himself, it was just as he'd suspected.

He left his stance at base of the large tree and began to creep along the rows of large trunked trees. Vega had to be mindful to remain as ninja-like in current nature, it was imperative for he knew of the thermal technology they had, possessing high magnification capabilities mounted upon each of the guard post. Any sudden move or attention brought by audible noise would surely result in him being spotted and the alarm going off. He did not want that.

The two men continued their mindless conversation. Vega didn't understand Thai and couldn't readily gather what they were saying but he seized this opportunity to creep far enough up to where he was now seated at the foot of the base, now away from their complete line of vision. He paused briefly to listen in, but even still they seemed to remain unaware of his presence.

Now at his feet within the vine-like entanglement of the forest floor were large stones that had broken away from the entirety of the rocky hillside structure through the inevitable effects of nature's elements. As he readied himself for the next plan of action, Vega equipped his weapon the claw, in addition to the mask that went in concordance to protect his most precious of assets. Swiftly he gathered the large rocks and began to hoist them out far into the thick brush of the dark forest that stood out before the post. They disappeared hastily into the thick curtain of trees creating a commotion of rustle in their wake. Instantly the aimless chatter ceased from above, following a brief silence.

Vega looked upward toward the post and waited there in the dark until the talking continued with a touch of uneasiness that time. Without warning he began to hear one of them climb down by way of the provided latter. The first guard had completed the descent from above and there was no time given to investigate the mystery he had stirred that night in the forest. He was young, just a boy but none-the-less; Vega quickly and nimbly lunged forward and brought the clawed weapon across his supple and youthful throat. Skin severed, opened, and blood rushed forward. The scarlet eruption was mesmerizing.

In the midst of his now eminent death sentence, he stared at Vega through a multiplicity of expression in combination of surprise, pain, disbelief and most of all fear. He went to reflexively yell through set of severed vocal cords but found there was no sound produced. Instead, as he held his throat, the liquid onrush of blood flowed in a faucet-like manner as his body twitched uncontrollably. From there he fell forward and onto the rocky ground.

Vega grabbed the dying body and pulled him back under the base of the post. The guard coughed, sputtered and gagged where he lay on the ground until all was still.

Now the second guard's voice could be heard from above, calling out into the night for his fallen comrade. Vega waited patiently for him to also descend downward onto his level. When he finally did, he did not waste any time to make a full clean fracture to his neck. Vega was surprised to find that he did not have to put up with a struggle that was first anticipated. The corpse fell forward over the first guard. He turned both bodies on their backs to study them over. Both had badges that had enough access into the Shadowlaw building that would get him where he needed to go for the time being. As the first guard had been too bloodied from the attack, he removed the gear from the second guard and promptly wore it over his own thin clothing. The garments smelled of arid perspiration and gave off an unpleasant odor but he would have to wear them until he could find something better suited once inside.

He tied his lengthy dark braided hair up, and replaced his mask with the accompanying helmet and face gear over his head. He then placed the claw as well as the rest of his belongings in the small bag on his person and began his trek up the side of the small mountain towards the great fortress ahead. Perhaps the incessant uncertainty of his circumstance would soon wither away into something more stimulating.

In the far distance of the crisp heightened air, his ears detected the faint sound of helicopters. He smiled. The timing could not have been more perfect.

***

Guile and his wife Julia were taken deeper into an unknown subsection of the large stronghold and initially locked into a spacious dark empty enclosure that contained no other means of escape. The smell of must suddenly lifted in his nostrils which had indicated that the room had not been used in quite some time.

He was tired, hungry, and most of all enraged. The way they placed him in a situation to where he was forced to witness his wife's brutal attack but then in turn do nothing for her had set him off beyond the scope of mental clarity. His frayed nerves were teetering on the edge and sanity in question. Surely a full blown nervous breakdown was just lying beneath his surface.

To his utter shock and dismay Balrog released both him and Julia from their handcuffs, and in that moment he severely wanted to end that guy's life; to break his neck; to gouge his eyes and rip out his throat. However he was too tired; too injured in his body and overall weak. It was all just wishful thinking. Balrog knew this much and instead he and the other two men that were with him left them alone, securing the door behind them.

Instead of even trying to go after them, he hurried toward her, and she toward him. Julia buried her face into his chest and let out an exhausted and pained sob. She cried on for minutes and all he could do was hold her, caress her and try and bring comfort in this seemingly surreal moment. It had seemed like only minutes ago they were in the safe confines of their home, secured from this world only to be ripped away from it all as they were forced to leave their young children alone and vulnerable.

Voice emotionally caught in her throat she continued to cry frantically. Just as he was, it was like she had almost lost her mind, for this was her breaking moment and it pained Guile because he could never imagine seeing her this way. Regardless of how poorly he had treated her in the past, she was always there to lift him up and forgive him when he surely did not deserve it. She was his light in times when life seemed too hard to withstand, his precious shining thing. Such a beautiful person she was both inside and out, innocent, pure and selfless. Julia did not deserve such inflicted physical and emotional anguish that was brought upon her. Nor did she ever deserve to witness her sister die senselessly or her children ruthlessly snatch away from her arms.

His chest tightened and tears surfaced in his eyes. Guile felt so inadequate and helpless in that moment, because for the many times she had encouraged and lifted him up, he found her could not return the actions easily, nor did he feel he was able to protect her like he so wanted to. Currently there, with no composure left he wept with her, for his children, his sister-in-law and the sore senseless interruption on their lives.

Tightly he held her. Guile wanted to tell her that everything was going to be alright for them, but at the same time he had to face the reality of it all. Escape at this point seemed unlikely for them, and now there was only room for a miracle.

Through her sobs she aimlessly called out for her sister, and then her children but it was to no avail. This act of despair continued on for minutes.

Briefly her sobs had tapered and her red teary eyes finally met his own longingly. "Wh-what are we going to do? My babies, my little girl… m-my sister, they…" her sobs entailed.

"It will be alright, we've got to stay strong… please." He caressed her head gently, but he knew it wasn't near enough to alleviate the pain she felt.

She continued her inconsolable crying in the safety of his arms.

"Julia…" he whispered softly, silent tears spilled down his own face. No more of this, he didn't want to ever see her cry like this anymore. The moment warped his mind.

As they stood there in the darkness of that empty room, the door suddenly opened. The shadowy figure that seemed to waiver in the doorway watched them momentarily before making his way inside. Julia buried her face in his chest and cringed in fear.

Expecting that it was Bison who would come to step forward, his anger suddenly lifted inside of him. It was almost explosive within the confines of his torso. Instead of reacting he simply held his wife. She needed his protection more than anything.

"_I thought this magical occasion had called for a little reunion on your behalf Major…_" Balrog's voice could be heard over a PA system now. "_Wish I could've made it more special for you both but…_ _we ain't got much options!_"

Curiosity caught Guile that time. He lifted his eyebrows confused by the elusive statement. Wasn't this Bison in here with him? As if on cue the lights in the dark room suddenly faded on and both were faced with a man wearing a hospital gown that he hadn't initially recognized.

Julia was first to catch her voice in a surprised gasp. "Charlie! What is… …William its Charlie!" She grabbed his shirt in a hastened attempt to bring him to the same level of surprise that she was suddenly on.

Guile's mouth opened slowly. How could this be? He didn't recognize him at first but now saw the glimmer of familiarity within those dead blue eyes of his. If Julia hadn't immediately known who he'd been it would have still taken Guile some time to find the distinguished clarity within him. Charlie looked nothing like the man he'd known who had disappeared over two years ago. He had lost a significant amount of weight and appeared sickly. His empty eyes, which once held glasses over them, were shrunken back in his head and his once blond military haircut had been shaved away. He reminded Guile of a cancer patient in the advanced stages of the ravaging disease.

He called to him but there came no response. Charlie remained there lifeless eyes stared straight ahead void of expression. Guile could see absolutely no spark or mental clarity within them at all.

"Charlie!" Guile called again, he went to grab him, but there was nothing. He was a zombie in his own right.

"Charlie it's us, your old friends Julia and William! Don't you recognize us?" Julia desperately called to. "Please you have to snap out of it! Charlie!"

Nothing.

In the placidity of the moment Balrog chuckled over the intercom. "_It ain't no use, that dude is gone_!"

"You bastards! What did you do to him?" Guile growled, "Charlie!!"

Again there was nothing.

"_Ok I wanna show you a cool trick Major. It's just a demonstration and all but I want y'all to see. Mr. Nash here is a product of our earlier work, he's got the same simple features as our killer bee, but he ain't no killer bee. She's more advanced. I don't know too much about this stuff but it's cool anyway_."

Both he and Julia continued to call for their long lost friend but to no avail.

"_Watch this_…" Balrog called out. "_Agent 1165, assume position_."

Charlie's body suddenly took on the rigid stance of attention; he then spoke in an almost robotic-like fashion. "Position assumed…"

"_Kill them!_" Balrog commanded.

As if suddenly gaining a sense of convoluted awareness, Charlie's eyes lit up with life in them once more. It wasn't the light of neither joy, nor even the sudden state of true clarity. It was a look of initial hatred and it was directed towards them, like a heat-seeking missile locked on its prey. Without warning he charged at them in full blown attack mode. Guile forcefully shoved Julia out of the way just in time for him to catch a blow to the ribs that was originally intended for her. His wife cried out in more anguish as she was pushed aside to the floor.

No more of this. There just had to be no more of this pain. Guile now knew he could not forgive Bison for this; for any of this, Charlie, Julia, Eliza, his Children, his friends…

Charlie's sickly exterior did not make him appear to be capable of delivering such force, but Guile laid there momentarily on the floor, body still in shock from the sheer power of it. When he went to stand again he was kicked across the side of the face and back down onto the floor.

Julia screamed, and Balrog laughed and laughed.

He didn't want to hit him. He didn't want to hurt his best friend. Breath now labored, Guile struggled to talk with his newly inflicted injuries which were aside from his previous ones, "Ch-Charlie, please you've got to come to grips… It's me pal. It's Will! Damn it snap the hell out if it!"

Instead Charlie hit him again.

"Charlie please don't hurt him! He's your friend." Julia called through more tears.

At that point now Guile knew it was useless now. Getting through to Charlie now was an insurmountable feat at that point in time. Whatever they'd done to him had caused the man he once knew to be totally wiped away from existence. Sure it was Charlie's body standing there before him, but it wasn't Charlie any longer. This man he saw had been reduced to a hallowed out existence.

His main priority now was his wife, he needed to protect her at whatever cost. He had to remain there and fight for her. Guile drew up his clenched fist to prepare for the next string of attacks from his zombie friend. In that quick moment he suddenly realized what represented the heart of this untimely matter. This was now a matter of life and death.

***

Ken remained unconscious after his bout of grief, anguish and the underserved violent blows that were given him. He laid there partially unclothed on the gurney that was adjacent from Ryu. Wearing only a pair of boxer briefs, they had shaved the back of his lengthy colored blonde hair and placed a series of wires and IVs in and along the entire length of his body. Around him stood a pair of scientists that worked to prepare him for what they ultimately had in store.

Ryu laid there strapped to his own gurney and watched helplessly from where he was. Unlike Ken he had yet to have been worked on but knew that soon enough he would be next.

In the level of connection and role he had played in with the hosted tournament all those months ago and in addition to the additional knowledge he had come to gain later on, he had known for the most part why he was there. He knew of the experiments to a certain degree but remained unclear of the actual procedure at hand. In either notion it didn't appear to be in either his or Ken's benefit.

In the time that they worked on his friend, the atmosphere was quiet-like with a low hum of background noise from the assisting machinery in the distance of the lab. The infamous M. Bison watched on as they diligently worked, his wide grin broadened upon each task.

It seemed like an eternity, like he was marinating in this terrible predicament. Yet it the same equal notion it wasn't, for just as the scientist brought forth the large drill-like instrument that would be used to drill a hole in the base of Ken's skull, a uniformed white haired gentleman who appeared to hold a higher authoritative position in the defense sector of Shadowlaw entered through the heavy doors of the laboratory and hastily made his way over to the operation sight. Trailing closely behind him were two foot soldiers holding rifles that were in tail of his long-strides.

"This better be damned important commander!" Bison barked impatiently.

This man, the commander, whoever he had been leaned into Bison's side and inaudibly relayed words that Ryu could not immediately determine. All assumption of its inconvenience could be readily deciphered across the face of a madman who rapidly portrayed a ravaged vehemence.

"HOW!?" Bison demanded suddenly. For reasons unknown, he looked first to Ryu and then Ken; his exterior quaked with anger.

Ryu stared back lost for words, and unclear on why he had been the sudden target of inquiry.

"THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE! HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED!?" Bison's ranting boomed in a voice that no longer possessed a single air of human quality. The room seemed to quake and all people within, even Ryu being naturally calm in his own right, were violently startled from this eruption of unbecoming emotion.

In a strange display Bison's eyes flared an odd blue light as he turned towards the small medical team. In the snarled temperament which had remained in his tone he said, "Cease this operation at once until I return!"

Both scientists appeared confused by this sudden halt of procedure but quietly obliged to the request. The skull drill was discharged like so.

The commander momentarily remained waiting to receive Bison's next line of orders. Out of all the other people he'd seen working here in Shadowlaw; he'd had yet to encounter an American until now. The dictator nodded to him quietly and proceeded out to lead the way. Before he turned to follow Bison out through the large double doors, the commander looked to the two men who had initially accompanied him within the room and said, "You two stay behind and watch over the subjects," his eyes met Ryu briefly, then they moved onto the scientists, "And them as well, we can't say for sure who there is to trust at this point." Upon exiting he scanned the room and everyone within in a final bout of suspicion until he and Bison were both gone from sight.

In the brief silence Ryu wondered what had suddenly transpired. He could only hope that one of his friends had found a way to escape from their capture, somehow or some way. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt eyes watching him. Upon looking up he found that one of the foot soldiers had been staring at him intently for some time. From behind the face mask those azure eyes began to burn a hole into him but Ryu dared to speak out of response to this curious gesture. Instead he initially furrowed his brow upward in question.

In a seeming response the man hastily dropped the rifle, reached down and unharnessed the pistol that was kept contained at his hip holster. Alarm suddenly rose up within Ryu's chest as he saw the gun being pointed in Ken's wayward direction. Certain that he would shoot Ken he began to struggle against his restraints in a desperate and strength mustered attempt to break free.

The first gunshot sounded out into the large sectioned off room, and the scientist who had initially operated the medical drill sharply slammed into the ground from impact.

The second foot soldier yelled out in alarm, "What are you doing!?" he demanded. In a delayed response to this surprising deed he began to aim the rifle up toward the perceived enemy but soon went down upon the second shot fired.

The remaining scientist, an older grey haired woman with pronounced frown-lines and a sagging forehead gasped at the initial trepidation. In response she raised her hands high in the air and stared frozen without a word.

The foot soldier momentarily aimed the gun toward her direction and held it there. Steadily now he said in French, "_Si tu fais un mouvement, un son, un seul appel téléphonique, ou un rapport, vous allez mourir docteur Marseille ..."_ He tilted his head upward in a quiet nod of approval-seeking. "_Comprenez-vous?_" Ryu didn't understand French and was left dumbfounded in this entire odd transaction. Had there been a revolt within Shadowlaw? Is that what all the fuss was over? What was going on!?

Her head quietly nodded in whatever agreement they had come to, and she remained standing with her arms raised.

This rather daring and illogically brazen foot soldier carefully turned toward Ryu, who by now was beyond confusion over what he' just seen unfold before him. Full of confidence he lifted his helmet from his head and the guard mask away to reveal his surprisingly familiar face.

Vega unraveled his obviously colored hair and let it spill down behind his back, wiped the sweat from his brow and continued stared intently at Ryu. Before he had a chance to finally speak out, the remaining scientist was first to yell out in an unexpected fashion, "_Vous ne été pas morte?_!" Vega turned to her, raised the pistol and without warning fired. Ryu shut his eyes with disgust of the senseless brutality and looked away from her collapsing form.

The intensity of the scorching heat brought on by the fired weapon caused Vega to sling it away instantly from his hands. He brushed a few strand of hairs away from his face angrily muttering, "If you're curious to learn French, I told her to keep quiet and not move. She did neither of those things and was too much of a risk, so she had to die."

Ryu stared at him without words in a remained disbelief. How could it be possible that he was alive?

Vega then composed himself with a strange reassuring smile. It was as if what he'd done hadn't mattered. His hair had been dyed a deep auburn and his eyes were now colored a deep blue. He looked strangely different than before but all in all it was him. How he managed to stay alive even when the world news reports had declared him to be dead was beyond Ryu's mode of thought concept. Now at this point nothing would surprise him. More and more he was beginning to adapt into Guile's mode of perception on this whole Shadowlaw scenario. Simply put: it was a dark circus of madness. Besides his radical change of appearance, there was something else that was different about him. "Don't worry Ryu…" he said after the brief transition of silence. While stepping forward to remove the straps which held him down on the gurney he continued, "I've temporarily disabled the cameras in the control room, for this sector, they cannot see us for right now."

Once freed, Ryu sat up and breathed an exasperated sigh of relief. He massaged his sore wrists, arms and shoulders, awkwardly pained in body and initially somewhat immobile due to his constant restraint. It had been the first time in days where he could actually move his limbs and body on his own accord. He then turned his gaze and glared at Vega. While grateful to have been freed from this rightly inhumane bondage, he was just as sorely displeased at the brutality and murder he'd seen just now. "Is that right?" he sharply asked in response to his statement. "How many men did you kill to perform that task? How many men did you have to kill to get here?"

Vega didn't answer him; instead he surveyed the room where his eyes rested upon Ken who had still remained in his slumber. He then turned towards the three dead bodies littering the cold industry title floor and frowned at them regretfully. Judging by his expression Ryu first assumed that he had come to possess a level of remorse from his rather heinous actions, but instead he said, "It's not my style Ryu…" their eyes met again, "killing with guns is not my style but our time is limited." In a revolted grimace he removed the entirety of the gear he had purportedly used as a disguise to reveal a second set of clothing underneath that was more suited to his character. From a bag strapped to the front vest he removed a dried blood stained claw and engaged it to the front of his wrist and hand.

"Obviously Shadowlaw thinks you're still dead, otherwise they wouldn't be doing this with you still roaming the earth. So how are you alive? How did you know about this?"

Vegas eyes met his again. "It's too long of a story to talk about right now. You know why I'm here, where is Chun-Li?"

Ryu sighed and looked down. "I wish I knew. They took her to another laboratory somewhere. I can't remember the name…"

Vega immediately began to head for the door, "I may know where they've taken her, but we need to hurry."

Ryu remained seated where he was; he watched Vega make his way toward the door. Then in realizing that he wasn't being followed, Vega promptly turned around once more. "I suppose you're not coming with me."

Ryu remained expressionless but firm in stating his explanation. "I'm not leaving Ken here alone. He's…"

Vega looked down contemplatively but said nothing. The quiet air was left tense

"It's alright Ryu…" He heard Ken speak somberly; his tired voice was thick with sleep. Ryu turned to find his best friend stirring from his brief but heavy mode of insentience, and a new and fresh set of tears had already began to glaze red over his bruised eyes. In his state of regaining the senses, he hadn't seemed to notice Vega standing there. "Leave without me… go…"

"I'm not leaving you here alone Ken; we have to get Chun-Li and the others. We have to stop this! Before it's too late" There was haste in his insistence, perhaps enough to sound almost insensitive towards the recent news of Eliza's death.

"I don't want to do anything anymore… they can just kill me…" he whispered, and then shut his eyes again in an attempt to block out his surroundings. Ryu knew this was definitely not the time to hold up the situation any longer, but how could he convince his grieving friend to come with them?

Vega appeared quietly dismayed at Ken's comments, ignorant in the knowledge of what recently had transpired. He looked to Ryu again impatiently now, "We're wasting time…"

Ryu raised a silencing hand his way, eyes still on Ken.

"Is that Vega?" Ken muttered with disdain. He looked his ongoing rival over carefully to perhaps take in the changes that he'd done to both his eyes and hair color. Then with a scoff he said, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that _he's_ actually alive…"

"He's here to help, as difficult as that is to comprehend." Ryu insisted. "We just need to get going.

"Why is it always the evil that land helplessly to their feet, and get away with murder, bloodshed and other wrongdoings, while Eliza…" his voice cracked in emotion.

Ryu stood up from the gurney and intently made his way over to his friend. "You're hurting about what happened to her, I know Ken. You're my best friend and I'm hurting with you…"

Ken broke down into an open and anguished sob that time. Ryu's few words were enough to break the rising flood of tears beyond his fragile frame of emotion. Still tied tightly by the holds on his arms and legs he was unable to fully display his grief in that time.

"We need to fight now, it's our calling and the others need us!" Ryu continued, "We must to stop Bison and his organization. If we don't, then who? Will Eliza's death just simply be in vain!? Is that what you really want?"

Ken closed his eyes. His was quiet for so long that Ryu was staring to grow concerned. As more tears trickled down his face he finally said in a voice that was hoarse from his earlier bout of screaming, "You're right… We can't just let them get away with this…"

Ryu released his friend from his bodily bounded captivity and Ken slowly sat upward and began removing the wires, IVs and medical tape raided across his bare flesh. His bloodshot eyes met Ryu in a wide and tired stare. "I dunno man, this is just… This feels like I'm in a dream. We were just in the house and now this. Eliza was with me and now she was taken away." He took ahold of Ryu's shirt firmly. "When!? When the hell am I going to wake up from this nightmare!?" Ken buried his face in his chest and wept even harder.

"I know…" was all Ryu could say. In transition of this display of emotion Ken awkwardly stood and Ryu met him in a solid and heart-felt embrace.

Vega stood on momentarily waiting; his eyes of indifference were at a downcast.

The noise that suddenly filled the room flooded his ears in a blared panic. Ryu perked in dismay as did Ken. Accompanying the buzzing sound was the flashing red light which bathed the contents of the room a deep crimson.

"What now?" Ken cried, suddenly composing himself in the haste.

"That's the alarm sounding." Vega informed them, he quickly searched a nearby back storage closet managing to find an additional set of lab coats scrubs and surgical masks in the back storage closet of the facility. He then searched the bodies on the floor to retrieve the badges.

Throwing the garments their way he said, "We'd better put these on. If not they'll spot us for sure."

Now dressed in disguise and in upon exit, the drowning sound of the panicked buzzer was even louder within the opened large ceilings of what appeared to be the main laboratory. More lights flashed throughout the large dark room of red as a large number of men and women in the facility rushed passed them in a panicked haste toward the main entrance.

"Hurry!" One young woman urged to them while running by, "We've got to get out of here!"

"What's going on?!" Ken asked her.

"At this point we're all unclear." She said stopping momentarily. "No one in central intelligence is informing us of anything! But the cameras were said to show a large fleet of helicopters and other aircrafts headed straight towards the fortress. At this point it is imperative that we escape from here, or we'll all be apprehended!"

When the woman left their presence to run off with the others, Ryu remained awestruck at the words he was hearing. How could this be? When he turned to Vega that time he found his expression had shifted into a knowing smile.

"What? What is it?" Ryu questioned him curiously. "You know what's going in don't you?"

"It looks like it worked…" He said surprised at himself. "I wasn't even sure if it would…"

"What would?" Ken openly demanded that time.

He smirked at them both; mouth forming the words Ryu thought he'd never hear given the details of this unfortunate predicament. "It looks as though Interpol is just upon the horizon and in advance of this place."


	16. The Forthright Cadence

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

**The Forthright Cadence**

The rhythmic concentrated sounds of the chopper seemed much louder in the recent surpass of time despite the covers that protected his ears. He could feel the anxiousness of anticipation rise within him as he, along with the entire fleet of interagency helicopters sent through the conduction of Interpol was steadily approaching the fortress now to be confirmed as Shadowlaw. Through the visible naked human eye, it was hidden well and went undetected. And even if it weren't for the infrared images, surveyed by satellite provided the Interpol intelligence team, then the plethora of activity would have never been read across the radar. Yet here and now he could see it clear as day on the scanned GPS map. This caller, whomever he had been, had given an accurate topographical description, and now as they neared all he could think about was Cammy.

As Colonel Wolfman surveyed the lush green tropical Thailand jungle below he could recall the details which lead up to these rather intense series of moments. The divine powers had surely been on his side that evening, because it was literally a miracle that this operation had even gone through the approval process. In all typicality, one single caller claiming to know the whereabouts of Shadowlaw and Agent Cammy White would not have been enough to gain approval from the powers that be.

By mid-afternoon, after that initial anonymous phone call, his agents had been on the phone with the United States FBI requesting further details on Chun-Li Xiang and the other hostages supposedly taken to the fortress. The correlation fit and it was found that it had indeed all turned out in truth. Wolfman learned in further detail that military CID agent Major William Guile, his wife Julia, Kenneth Masters, son of the one of the wealthiest Billionaire tycoons on the planet as well as his best friend Ryu Hoshi were also of the five hostages that were taken.

The two agencies spent some time exchanging details about this exceedingly mounting case and by that afternoon the intelligence team within Interpol had been contacted with details on the location of the fortress. In addition, during the trade of information, Wolfman had also come to find that Dalton Masters, father of Ken, would be donating a large undisclosed sum of money towards the investigation. It was apparent that money was certainly no objection in ensuring the safety of his only son and his friends.

The Shadowlaw compound was just hours northeast of Bangkok. Live satellite pictures were taken of the area was given, in accordance with infrared heat seeking images that had indeed revealed a network of activity lying just beneath that seemingly calm jungle-like surface. Additionally to include the already mounting wealth of valuable information, the team was also able to track a rather unusual high flow of air craft activity in and around the pinpointed location as well as the accompanied nearby river. By that late afternoon, the Thai government had been contacted and informed of the activity going on in the confines of their country. By all accounts, they were left surprised by news of this information; however it would not have further dismayed Wolfman to know that their level of involvement with Shadowlaw existed within the course of time. After working a number of years in the federal sector of international law enforcement, nothing surprised him. For all intents and purposes the truth would soon reveal itself.

The initial Interpol briefing was scheduled via video-conference early that evening in the conference room. There Wolfman headed up the meeting to inform the other international agencies, to include the FBI, ICE, and the Thai government on what was transpiring, in the break of the Shadowlaw case. He explained his information on his missing agent Cammy White and how men were needed to apprehend the fortress and rescue the other hostages that were taken in. The FBI provided the meeting attendees with a more in depth account on the brutality that went on in the Guile household, including a further detailed description of the victims taken from the home.

The urgency of the matter was relayed to everyone across the board. Through this Wolfman learned that Guile and Julia's three children, an eight year old girl named Amy and her twin newborn siblings were left behind in the house with three intruders assuming to be associated with Shadowlaw. Two had died; one by gunshot wound, the other by vertebrae fractures, and the third was left in critical condition from the severe blunt force trauma left on the front portions of the skull. Wolfman then learned that there had also been a fourth victim in the infiltration. Eliza Connelly, girlfriend of Ken Masters and younger sister of Julia had been found with deep gunshot inflicted cauterizations to the side of her temple. She was now in intensive care desperately trying to hang onto to her life. If it hadn't for her action of instinctually turning her face at the precise time of bullet-fire, there was no doubt that she would have instantaneously lost her life.

There was also the condition of Chun-Li Xiang, daughter of the late detective Dorai. The FBI relayed that she was in her sixth month of pregnancy. This had been the so called 'delicate condition' the mysterious caller had been referring to. Wolfman began to wonder why he'd known so much in his seemingly separated disposition. He had begun to see underlying connections that had been present where Shadowlaw and these families had been concerned, and other than the position of the mysterious caller, the circumspective web of mystery was slowly unraveling to shed light onto this rather darkened façade.

At the conclusion of the briefing, the top command officials in the participating law agencies, to include him, agreed then to meet upon arrival with the Thai government to go over additional details on the next plan of action. The information was then to be taken down to agents working the operation. It was the night following the teleconference that the divisions of MI-6 including Delta Red, were flown out to Bangkok to meet and set up station.

Interpol worked with the Thai government to lay out a set plan on how the fortress would be infiltrated. It was presumed, based upon the dense thick jungle surrounding that the best method of assembling the place initially would be by air. That evening, just over two days after the initial raid on the Guile household the first fleet of helicopters were sent out towards the fortress. Maps of the rough terrain were uploaded onto the navigator devices for purpose of reference. A large robust Agent McCoy, and agent Luwanda, his fellow members of Delta Red, piloted the large chopper while he himself scouted the terrain for possible indicated signs.

Sure enough, there it was; atop the rocky and tree covered formation was the large and crumbling stone Buddha statue, covered in vines and barely visible from the air. It was just what the caller had indicated to be the focal point.

"We've got it locked in Colonel," Luwanda indicated, "Shall we go in?"

Wolfman radioed the accompanied choppers in the fleet to get a definite confirmation. Just as the okay signal was given, one of the chargers that headed up the fleet off to their left was suddenly struck where the propellers met and instantaneously went down to conclude in an orange fiery explosion. Luwanda screamed.

The force from the blast caused their aircraft to whiplash in the wake of the impact. Briggs grabbed hold of the rudder to maintain control. From there he eased the craft downward, while Wolfman began to hastily gear himself up for what was ahead. It was obvious now that this was indeed Shadowlaw. The initial line of struggle only proved that much.

"Okay, so this is how they want to play it…" Wolfman muttered. He looked out of the window to survey the damage below. The mangled fiery helicopter lay situated in the cluster of trees, it's passengers who had seen the missile blast coming jumped deck to parachute the rest of the way to the hidden ground.

Wolfman prepared himself, equipped his ammo and leapt outward from hovering vehicle just as the second missile was detonated towards the large aircraft fleet. After several moments of descent the parachute opened and he could see out over the land. By now scores of jets soared in to aim their own bullets out onto the rocky structure in an exchange of fire. Like him, other droves of agents under Interpol made their parachute escape from their own copters.

From the above, the chopper piloted by Luwanda and McCoy headed back towards the small town in which the agencies had taken refuge and he could now see the mayhem unfolding all around him, for within just a matter of minutes it had become an all-out war.

***

While the other workers of Shadowlaw were making their way towards the nearest exits, Sagat was in process of leading Chun-Li deeper and deeper into the fortress. While on their trek the first deep popping sound of the firing missile erupted through the confines of the large building. The sound was so immense that the building quaked under their feet. Sagat felt his eardrums stir and his insides vibrate uncontrollably. The already red flashing lights and the ringing of the loud alarm had already sent the place into a frenzied panic and Chun-Li herself was feeling the effects of the mayhem.

Sagat could see she was frightened and in turn he attempted to steady her as best he could. "It's alright…" He assured.

"What's going on!?" She cried, "What's happening!?"

"They've launched the missile. Something is happening outside… Maybe invaders…"

As the second missile launched its fire, she stumbled to the ground in a screaming fit of fright, buckling against her restraints. By now it was pointless for her to wear them, and he promptly removed them like so.

"_SAGAT! I NEED YOUR LOCATION!_" Bison's angered voice could be heard over the walkie-talkie strapped to his belt. This was his third time calling, and like the other two times Sagat ignored the call.

Once released from the cuffs Chun-Li stared at him, in eyes filled with worry. "What are you going to do? He's looking for you!"

"_I don't have time for games Sagat!!_" Bison snarled again. "_We know the girl is missing! Now where is she!?_"

"I'm trying to get us out of here." He calmly told her. "There's an escape tunnel in the underground subsection of this place. It will take us out to a small town of _Na Yang Klak_ on the edge of the metro area of Bangkok, via the river. We just need to hurry before this place is ultimately destroyed."

All conversation fell briefly between them, and as they walked through the red blare of panic he peripherally gazed at her. It was the way she walked and held her posture, her stride of subtle and humble confidence. It was her large round onyx-like eyes that held knowing mysteries, maintaining a level of innocence about her despite all that she had suffered through. It was even the mere way in which she casually brushed her hair away from her face. In it all, Sagat could see the strength and fortitude which naturally rested deep within that so many countless others vied for. Chun-Li reminded him of her; and in that moment a shine entered his eye as he recalled his days spent with her.

The fond memory of it all abruptly dissipated when Bison's blaring voice once again echoed through the speaker of the small walkie-talkie device. "_Sagat, this is no time to screw around. You are needed in the control room at once. Enemies have found our force and we need to take action! Do you hear me, we—" _He didn't allow Bison time to finish out the sentence when he smashed the electronic device against the wall causing it to shatter instantaneously. At once, pieces of wiring and plastic littered the hallway around them.

Chun-Li let out an exasperated sigh over what he'd done. "But, why? We know what Bison's capable of, why do that?" Her eyes shimmered in what looked like fresh tears, yet in the same instant they surfaced she had quickly blinked them away.

Sagat closed his eyes and shook his head adamantly. "This just has to end…" What had remained of most importance was getting them out of there at once; before they were sighted by someone he didn't want discovering them.

Due to the unfolding mayhem outside, Sagat doubted he was the in current focal target of attack as this unknown enemy outside had stirred quite a frenzy in the confines of this place. From his perspective it was all well deserved and he could see where it played out in his favor, for the opportunity to leave was now in prime standpoint.

Taking hold of her wrist he urged them to leave and at once. He led her toward the lower section of the large base, avoiding elevators at all cost. Things seemed uneventful in their quest to escape the enemy for the first duration, however when coming upon two intersecting corridors he spotted three men who had appeared to be from the laboratory. What were they doing down here? Suddenly the circumstance was not looking well.

"There they are!" One man shouted. Their faces were concealed by surgical masks, and judging by their clothing, it had appeared as if they had been sent by someone. Sagat was confused and wondered if they had still planned on convening the absurd experiment on Chun-Li, even after all of this. If this were the case, Bison was even crazier than first realized.

Chun-Li cried out in alarm with reaction to the quickening excitement. He pulled her along in such haste that her feet did more dragging than running. They crossed the intersection of the corridors and ran straight ahead for his intended destination. From behind he could hear them running behind as they called for her.

"Can't they just leave me alone!" she wailed, "When will this end!?"

"Soon!" He snarled in an anger that was directed towards the unfolding events around them. Suddenly falling silent, Chun-Li must've mistakenly figured that she was taking the brunt of the hostility.

With all three men nearing behind, he led her down another flight of stairs into the heart of subsector B. His escape from this hell on earth was played out in his head, as he neared the ultimate destination.

Much of the large river that flowed outward along the compound, had also been situated in a man-made like fashion to flow directly into a rather intricate tunneling system underground to meet at sector B. Boats carrying supplies by night in the heart of this Thai jungle went unnoticed by the local government officials allowing even several more boats, own directly by Shadowlaw, to be inconspicuously docked within the rocky cavernous enclave of the fortress. His plan was to get her out of there by one of those boats, and if all went well they would escape. In the meantime, something would have to be done about the three men.

As first suspected, the immediate docking vestibule off to the left of the staircase exit was deserted. Guards which had typically situated the area had been called for combat duties and had now taken some of the ships out onto the river for battle. He could feel the pulse of warfare turmoil just beneath his feet. Concurrent with this notion, the illuminated water within the cavern shook and sparkled within the gleam of the artificial light.

With his large hand now securely fastened fully around her forearm, they exited the entrance area, cleared the docks and headed for the small unoccupied passenger boat, typically utilized in routine patrols. Trailing closely behind emerged the three uniformed doctors, still in pursuit of them.

"Chun-Li it's us!" one of the men called, he was close enough now to where the sound of his voice was heard in further clarity. There was an impassioned plea in his tone and upon those words, she quickly turned.

To his dismay Ryu, his rival, pulled the surgical mask away to reveal his face, following him was Ken masters. Both men eyed Sagat in a hastened look of scorn. They had somehow escaped their own confined predicament and were now here to save her. Yet in all appearance he was still the enemy in their eyes.

"Ryu, Ken!" Chun-Li cried in excitement, he released her arm and promptly she ran to them. Feet then initially entangled from the haste, she fell to her hands and knees onto the dock.

Ryu and Ken came to her side, helped her stand and promptly met her in a three-way hug. Even to him, the reunion was a bit touching as he watched her cry in their arms.

"I thought you guys were done for!" she sobbed still holding on them.

"We thought the same about you for sure…" Ryu said calmly, his eyes continued to lock onto Sagat in a silent feat of challenge.

"I'm fine," she insisted. Chun-Li turned back towards the boat, her teary and innocent eyes softened to regard him. "This gentleman here saved me… he took me out of there just in time. Right before they were going to inject my child with the chemicals they had administered. "

The two men with her stared back at him, the sustenance of scorn had immediately cleared away. Ryu nodded his way in a confirmed respect but remained without words.

"Thanks man…" Ken said to him. "Seriously, thanks. We didn't think guys like you existed in this place. I was surely ready to write this place off as the psycho-haven."

Sagat nodded. "When we first saw you, we thought you were more lab techies coming after us and had no choice but to run." He explained to them, and then turned to regard the large opened enclosure of river before them. The gun blasts and explosions could still be heard in the distance. "So far the method of escape is by way of this river out ahead, but that is posing a risk given the amount of rapid fire. I believe if we lay low, we can still somehow get out without anyone of us getting hurt."

Chun-Li looked on curiously toward the third man, who had quietly remained there watching, masked and without words to say. Like her, his concealed identity had sparked an air of curiosity within Sagat as he too wondered who this person had been. Perhaps someone else in Shadowlaw had gained a sense of integrity. Her eyes settled back onto her friends again she asked, "How did you guys get out? Where's Guile and Julia?"

"We're still looking," Ryu responded. His eyes held a focus of concern where Julia and Guile were regarded. His eyes locked onto Sagat that time. "But we can't leave them behind…"

"So… who is that with you?" Chun-Li continued curiously.

In the brief pause, Ken smirked in sarcasm as he turned to point to the man behind them. "Well here he is ladies and gentleman, back from the dead to again save our asses…"

In light of Ken's words, Vega removed the surgical mask away to reveal his face. If it weren't for the natural law of gravity, Sagat's jaw would have hit the floor. So Vega had been alive after all. He found himself surprised by this discovery, yet along the same notion he wasn't. This was Vega after all.

Sagat couldn't process the words that he readily wanted to spill from his mouth. There were so many questions he had to ask, so many concerns. He needed to know how this was so effectively pulled off in such a manner but his lips could not form the words. Bison was in a highly stressed struggle to gain control of his Shadowlaw, his workers, and the experimental projects he held in conquest to take over the world. For all of it had been foiled and Sagat could only piece together that somehow, this was Vega's doing. No one alive otherwise could have possibly known about this far off place that was hidden well by time in the depths of this jungle. The irony of this matter had weighed on the moment at hand, and when he finally opened his mouth to utter words, laughter poured out in its place.

***

Chun-Li kept her gaze locked on Vega, and he in turn her. He stood there before her, disguised enough to not be recognizably noticed. His long, now dark hair spilled down his back in a loose braid. His disguise was mediocre, the hair color, the new eye color, the medical gear he wore. Maybe to some he would have gone unnoticed in his quest to remain inconspicuous in his disguise these past few months, but Chun-Li could have spotted him anywhere.

During this rather quiet transition, his expression was unreadable, as if anticipating her disfavor toward him. His eyes scanned over her exterior contemplatively. Other than the sounds of exchanging fire coming from outside, and the now bellowing laughter of Sagat issuing from behind, all was quiet.

The whirlwind of emotion turned within her heart. It was a confusing moment indeed. One aspect of her wanted to run and hug him, for he had come to save them like he promised. Yet her other side desired to equally punch his lights out after all of the despicable deeds had tacked onto his name. Instinctually she held her distended abdomen, what could she do in that moment?

Sagat who at once found composure in the midst of his amusement, apologized for his outburst of humor and was first to speak. "Okay so you're actually alive Vega. I'm sure it's quite complicated indeed but for the sake of understanding, could you enlighten us all as to what is going on? I know this was your doing. I just don't know how."

Vega averted his expressionless eyes towards Sagat briefly before setting back them onto her. For the longest time he remained silent, then finally he spoke. "I simply contacted MI-6 when I heard the news…" He gazed upward briefly to regard the sounds of war from outside. "This sounds like an interagency raid, and Interpol has gotten involved. You see, I was on the phone with this lovely woman right here when the foot soldiers raided the home."

Everyone around her drew back suddenly in surprise as was to be expected.

"What's he talking about Chun-Li?" Ryu said turning to her. "You mean you knew he was alive?"

Before she could respond to the spotlight that had figuratively been placed upon her, Vega spoke up instead. "She's known but for a brief time. I contacted her the night before Thanksgiving and then the following night as well. It was all coincidental, and the raid happened during my second phone call."

Ken spoke in that time; initially flared at what he was hearing. "This is absolute madness! You mean you knew he was alive and you didn't tell us? Who's to say? Maybe if you had informed us, none of this would have happened. Maybe we would have gotten out in time and Eliza…"

Vega smirked indifferently as he shook his head at the statement. "You've got it wrong this time Ken. I had nothing to do with this. Bison does not know I'm alive. I came here because I knew what was going on."

"He's right." Sagat admitted still standing, with his arms folded on the bobbing boat. "Bison did not know he was alive. It's Obvious now that Balrog had the wrong guy." He shook his head

Ken scoffed, "Obviously."

"Regardless," Ryu said hastily as he suddenly took hold of her arm, "we can't just stand around here and chat about these irrelevancies. What's important is finding Guile and Julia amidst this chaos because we're pressed for time. We also need to get Chun-Li out of here, she can't be exposed to this lead that's emitting from this weaponry." His eyes scanned Ken, Vega, and Sagat. "Someone will need to stay behind with me to get the others and someone will need to go with her..."

"I'll go…" Sagat said as he stared at Ryu with eyes of challenge. "Being second in command, I know my way around better than any of you. Let me do it…"

"You're also a superb fighter Sagat…" Ryu admitted. "I'd be honored if you came along."

Sagat's mouth turned upward in amusement at the irony of this statement. "Yes Ryu, a superb fighter who will no doubt defeat you upon our next challenge… better believe that…"

"Well, so be it…"

"But aren't you worried about getting caught by the law? They're probably circulating throughout this place right now as we speak!" Chun-Li spoke in that time.

"But from what you've seen Miss Xiang, this place is a maze. I know some hidden shortcuts that could keep us hidden while maintaining the objective."

Ryu nodded. "Great, let's go then…"

"I have been waiting for this day to come." Sagat continued and he climbed downward from the boat. "I've been waiting for literally years upon years to see Bison fall. Now it's time to push this thing into action…"

Ken was obviously perturbed at this arrangement. "And where the hell does that leave me?"

"To come with us…" Vega spoke regarding him with a rather artful and knowing expression.

As Ryu helped her onto the boat, Chun-Li turned to see Ken closing his eyes and shaking his head in protest. "No way man, I'm not riding anywhere with him."

"Ken your injuries are bad, they need treatment, and any altercations that we may run into will only make them worse." Ryu insisted.

She could see clear as the mid-day sky that Ken was certainly in no position to fight anyone. The amount of bruises that inflicted his face was innumerable. He was almost unrecognizable within the confines of his damage.

Chun-Li gazed upon Ken that time, hoping now that her words of persuasion would help. "Please Ken, could you do it for me?"

Instead of immediately replying Ken stood there, arms folded as he glared at Vega.

"Ken… Please?" Chun-Li pleaded, she couldn't believe he was acting in such a ridiculous manner, especially at a time like this. "We're running out of time!"

After another brief moment of huffing and pouting, Ken finally faltered in both his pride and stubbornness, probably realizing the urgency of this critical moment. "Alright…" His voice was barely above a whisper as he went to proceed.

"And let's leave the immaturity behind us…" Vega added snidely as he promptly ignited the boats engine. Exhaust soon filtered into the immediate area.

Chun-Li looked out to Sagat and Ryu momentarily from where they stood on the dock. "Please be careful!" She called to them. "Make sure you find Julia and Guile in one piece."

"We will." Ryu confirmed. "Be safe as well. Don't worry about us…"

"We will meet you all in the small town of _Na Yang Klak, _it's several miles south west of here, following the river." Sagat informed them, "Be sure to stay clear of the gunfire out this way…"

"Thank you Mr. Sagat…" She said sincerely. "Really…" Her eyes shifted from him to Vega. "I don't understand… why either of you have done what you've done to help us. To risk your lives this way… This is so out of character for Shadowlaw."

Vega remained quiet in her probing of words, while Sagat spoke on to respond. "Miss Xiang, this has nothing do with Shadowlaw… Each person is individualized in their own fashion, to be given a mind, free will, and certain level of competence. I can only speak for myself in this particular matter, but when you come to be my age, you start to realize that things that meant so much in youth are now of little importance. The value of life does not circulate around the principalities of wealth, power, or material things. As great as they are to have, they do not bring fulfillment, but only make a man grow wicked and dead in heart… Just take Bison for instance."

Chun-Li nodded, and was touched as she took in the essence of his words.

Sagat paused briefly as if recalling something precious in his mind. "You know… I have a daughter that is around your age." He sighed, "And probably grandchildren by now… It has been a number of years since I've seen her. Back then money held a priority over being a father. Of course I saw her occasionally throughout the years, and watched her grow into a young woman, but the gifts I gave could nowhere near replace the fact that she needed me" His one good eye met hers, "and when I see your eyes, your kind heart and your strong spirit, you remind me of her." Sagat promptly turned to regard Vega for the purpose of perhaps shedding some light on the young matador's odd transition. "Children change us… It doesn't matter what age we are. My revelation of this didn't come until later in life, but having a child causes you to realize what's truly important. No matter how hard we want to fight it, this paternal instinct is traced in all of us. No matter who decides to write us off as… well… monsters…" He smiled as his words faded.

"We need to get going Sagat." Ryu was growing impatient.

Sagat nodded. "Take care of yourself Miss Xiang, stay on the path that's true…" He turned to everyone, "All of you… It took many years for me to get this… and to now finally bring these thoughts into actions." Regarding her pregnancy, he said, "You continue to do what you do, and that child will grow onto to be someone great…"

The boat drifted away from its dock and it was too late in the matter to do so, but at that moment Chun-Li wanted to hug him. She had never felt so encouraged in a long time. Despite everything that had transpired in those past agonizing six months, these few words revitalized her spirit. In this moment she realized that not only did the love of God manifest itself in presence, but in the thoughtful words and actions of others. It was the tendering of a stone heart, which could not be adamantly or psychologically explained by the human rationale. This was how the power of true contained love operated, and it was outshining in all things.

As the engine of the boat finally broke in, Vega slowly backed it out toward the path that lead straight down into the river, in the distance she could see Ryu and Sagat make their way back inside the fortress that in itself was wallowing in destruction.

The boat veered to the right as it exited the cavern that lead them out onto the southwest trail towards the town that Sagat had indicated. The depth of the fiery mayhem they met outside was not something she had even initially fathomed in her mind previously. Downed aircrafts contributed to the wide and ravaged blaze of the jungle surrounding the mountainous fortress and along the opposite side of the river. Missiles shot out into the sky to aim at the fleet of copters that had come in to further infiltrate Shadowlaw. Foot soldiers fired machine guns at the men along the opposite shoreline. In seeing this, Chun-Li could only worry all the more about her friends inside.

"Lay low…" Vega commanded her.

Chun-Li silently obliged, ducking down next to Ken near starboard side, as the engine accelerated. Vega maneuvered the vehicle side to side swiftly to lower and totally avoid the risk of being berated with gunfire, his long hair whipped behind him in the wind with a seemingly appropriate display of action. This swerving motion carried on for what seemed like minutes until they were far enough away from the instantaneous line of fire. The consistent and rapid sound of rapid popping and explosion faded out to deep yet soft drones of sound in the distance behind them. Chun-Li exhaled, suddenly realizing that she had been holding her breath in the excitement of it all.

Ken was first to stand and watch the fiery light in the distance. "Man that was something!" He admonished. "I just hope the others make it out okay…"

"They will…" Chun-Li assured them. "Ryu is unstoppable."

"Damn right…"

The engine now lowered to a slow hum, decreasing in speed steadily. Vega turned to Ken asking him to take the wheel, and he did so without objection. Once he had a chance to step away he approached her from where she sat on the provided chair. His blue eyes, which seemed to shine in the jungle night, were fixated onto her, as they had always been. He hadn't said much in her regard since they'd seen each other and this surprised her most of all as his mood seemed morose and his expression serious in turn.

Chun-Li sighed, shifting in the awkward silence that was between them and finally spoke first. "I honestly cannot understand. After everything you've done, the way you treated me and my family…"

Vega lowered his brow in thought. The seriousness of his outward tone never left and he appeared worn by the recent string of events. Without initial words he knelt down in front of her to catch eye level. Then quietly he spoke, "If understanding is what you seek, you will not find it." He steady gaze was cold and without form. "But know this…"

Her brow furrowed in an expression to match his, as she curiously replied, "What is it?"

Vega surveyed the obviousness of her distended abdomen that was now cradled against her arms. His eyes seemed to take in the reality of this truth, the reality that a child was indeed on the way and he looked away silently without the words he had intended.

Chun-Li waited in the dark silence, as Ken drove on uninterested, or perhaps oblivious as to what was happening behind him.

As if to gather his thoughts and perhaps himself in addition, he closed his eyes and paused lengthily before finally saying, "At the time of her death… my own mother was in her fourth month of pregnancy. Coincidental is it not?"

Chun-Li simply stared back and dared to probe with questions. She could gather from even the prior engagements that the subject of his parents and perhaps his mother most of all had been a sensitive area for him. When he opened his eyes again she could see it there through those windows; a place she first thought was barren, empty. Yet now it was clearly seen through her owns eyes that could, to some degree, perceive; the low blue flame of a nearly diminished soul and the single fine thread of humanness within him that she never thought existed. It had surfaced upon the mentioning of her, and she could now sense his discomfort within that mode of his own perceived vulnerability.

His eye contact waivered some, as if to recoil from this brief notion of weakness. "She was murdered…"

"I'm sorry…" Chun-Li said in sincerity.

"I-I couldn't save her… But I…" His words faltered.

Her core of heart softened, the presence of this moment; this divine presence placed a restoration within her; or then perhaps it had been there all along, slowly working throughout her existence. Chun-Li could no longer feel the hatred or, to a degree even the hurt he caused in her life. There as she gazed back at that rawness of the memory that undeniably pained him she gained a circumspective understanding.

Upon the mention of his mother, Vega looked downward and retrieved from his pocket what looked like a white beaded rosary. Firmly taking it into his hands he clutched the piece hard enough that she could see the tops of his knuckles fade to white.

It was seeing him there that she remembered Sagat's spoken words. It was his brief speech regarding life, the concept of having a child and how they change one for the better. Within Vega's few uttered words, and though he would probably not bring himself to admit it, perhaps this seemingly sudden change had much to do with the idea of a baby making its way into the world, to coincide with a hidden parental instinct to protect. Yet it was not only that. There was something else. Oddly enough she also recalled Vega's declared statement about second chances and signs, months ago. He couldn't save his mother and the unborn child carried in her womb from the ill-fate of a premature death. She guessed that within his mode of rationale, her own pregnancy deemed a sign, a second chance for him to save and protect, like he had wanted to with his mother all along. Through his few spoken words, she could assemble that connection.

"I understand…" She said finally, "You don't owe me an explanation to your actions."

Vega shook his in a mode of regret; his expression grew angry as he stared off away from her. "But understanding is important…" In a sudden and angered haste he slammed the rosary to the ground and stood, turning away from her.

"Dude what's your problem!?" Ken asked, turning from the wheel. When realizing that he would not receive a response, he shrugged and turned his attention back on the boats operation.

Vega paced a bit for reasons unknown.

Chun-Li stooped down to pick up the rosary from the floor of the boat. Despite the impact of his throw, it still remained intact. In an attempt to grasp his attention she said, "What now?"

After a while, Vega ceased his pacing and peered at her. The same cold emptiness had returned once more through his now soulless windows. Perhaps if a breakthrough were to ever happen in him, it certainly would not have been now, not in that evening at least. Discounting her last inquiry, he said, "So I did my part… I made my promise, and I am now here…" He shook his head again. "I don't understand myself sometimes. I cannot predict my own actions, and that is scary, is it not?"

She nodded unsure of where he was coming from.

Vega laughed to himself. "It's a struggle, a fight that never ceases…" Chun-Li wondered if the sudden nonsense he was spewing held value in purpose. "Forgive me… I have not slept well in the past few days and my body is tired."

From behind his back, Ken, who still stood at the wheel, turned to give her a look of disturbed confusion over Vega's recent words and actions.

Ignoring him, Chun-Li kept her eyes focused on the fine details of the rosary, saying nothing more.

"But I see you clearly my Chun-Li, and you look lovely …" His eyes shallowly took in her outward exterior, and over her baby bump. "A glowing radiance…"

"I certainly don't feel lovely…" She replied now gazing up at the array of beautiful stars.

Water in the flowing river surrounding them reflected the starry night sky, in a series of abstract white wavering lines and the sounds of the jungle noise carried a depth even in the humid density. The peacefulness of the air mellowed the atmosphere, to gently correlate with this odd moment that was somehow meaningful.

***

Out the number of sentiments which currently coursed through his large and malevolent exterior, it was the initial lack of understanding that was most prominent. He could not begin to comprehend what was transpiring in the stronghold of his life. Everything was crumbling around him, and in that surreal still frame of moments Bison clamored in desperation, to gain some sense of control on this terrible matter. Why was this happening?

With Mike Balrog alongside him, Bison watched the series of monitors which displayed lines of disappointment after disappointment. The helicopters, the aircrafts, and now the tanks which had ridden through the forest, came in endless droves, and left the intent for destruction in its wake. The troops had been called and were on standing position to fight. Across the displays he could also see many of the workers, to include scientists, techs, specialists and other employees making a hasty escape through the many opened entrances. Many feared arrest and naturally saw to their own well-being, which had in turn allowed the unknown enemy to proceed inside. Their allegiance, it was all a farce after all.

"How!?" He turned to question Balrog, "How did this happen? Who sent them?"

"Don't know sir…" he said somberly. Fear and worry had begun to creep in the corner of his dark eyes.

Bison took hold of the walkie-talkie system to reach Sagat once more, but again it was to no avail, for at this point he could no longer even attempt to get through.

The answer to this multimillion dollar question seemed to come sooner than he would have thought. There across one of the many display screens, his eyes caught one Colonel Keith Wolfman of the MI-6 Delta Red force. There he was in his full gear with his olive green suit and red beret; armed and staking out the confine.

To some degree Bison now knew what had happened. Someone called Interpol and it was their team currently who was in a success of process to infiltrate this base. He scowled at the screen, if Wolfman had his mind in possession of claiming back Cammy, he would die trying before succeeding. In this, it was a relief to know that his Killer Bee had been set to guard the sublevels and was adequately programmed to take out any intruders at the entryway.

_This will give Wolfman and those other agents a run for thier money._

"Holy shit, it's Interpol! Who in the world called these jerks?" Balrog cried from behind him in obvious surprise.

Bison glared at him matter-of-factly, "How did they know about this place?"

Balrog's eyes widened as the fear incessantly progressed. "Don't know!"

"Are you sure there was no one there following you from Major Guiles house? No police, no one watching?"

"Honest sir, there was nobody. We made it in and out in a matter of minutes."

"The men killed, the others, are you certain there was no one of competent mind there left behind?"

"I left those twin babies behind, they were little, too young to do anything, and the girl, we made sure she was killed… No use to us…"

Bison nodded to accept his claim. "Good! So why is Interpol here then? There must be something we're missing…"

"Sagat maybe?" Balrog's suggestion was fervent, in all attempts to shift the attention away from him. And his answer could not have been too farfetched; Sagat after all was ignoring the alerted calls sent to him.

When Bison first heard the initial threat brought on by this invading enemy, he would assume likely that his second in command henchman would have taken the Xiang girl to a more undisclosed location. However upon inspection of the lab where they worked on the girl, he saw the two men, the doctor and his assistant, on the floor and unmoving. The camera's eye had revealed all. When playing back the previous succession of events, he found he could not gain access, for someone had deliberately tampered with the security and monitor system in that room.

All suspicion was held within Sagat and his treachery, until something more disturbing caught his eye.

Balrog was first to note the series of people which had gathered on the cavern dock of subsector B momentarily. "Hey Lord Bison… you should check this out."

Bison shifted his eyesight toward the monitor on the far left. There he briefly spotted Sagat, now deemed a traitor, and Ryu quickly running out of eyeshot from the camera back in towards the building. On the boat he then saw the girl, in addition to Ken, and another unknown man operating. Who was that? How much deception and lies had been beneath the surface?

Balrog leaned in a bit closer squinting his eyes to catch glimpse of this mystery man. Expression suddenly turning disturbed, he drew back uneasily and looked towards the door. "Uhhh… Maybe I should go check subsector B… see what they're up to…"

Bison looked at the man that Balrog had initially caught glimpse of, but his face turned away and he could not decipher who it had been. Balrog knew something in that quick and sudden moment. The prompt turn in his behavior held this obvious indication. "What!? Who is it?"

Balrog now hurrying away and towards the door spoke without looking back, "I'll let you know sir!" with that, his swift strides broke into a run as he disappeared from sight.

When he was gone, Bison examined the screen, as the boat could be now seen disappearing off the lens-sight of the subsector B's dock camera. Promptly he switched camera views to portray the outer exiting cavern. Within moments he saw the boat emerge from the dark and amidst the mayhem of war around them.

In procession, the driver brought his gaze directly toward camera, as if he'd already known it was there. The self satisfied smirk given towards the capturing lens was a taunting indication of his triumph. Right away Bison knew who that fiend had been, and in the unfolding of instances he pieced it together. They had all collaborated against him; every last one of them; Vega, who was in fact alive; Sagat, who had apparently switched sides, and now Balrog who had undeniably killed the wrong man.

It was unclear to Bison as to whether the heavyweight boxer was within his ignorance and stupidity and had not known he'd killed the wrong guy, or if this was all a well thought out and planned conspiracy. Either way it went, they would all die every last one of them.

In a bout of uncontained anger, his blue blazing fist ripped through the panel of the monitor that held Vega's pretentious gaze. The screen instantly faded as the vinyl and plastic broke around from impact.

A series of priorities held strong on his current agenda. That was to take care of Colonel Wolfman and his band of agents, to find the remaining contained hostages, Guile and his wife and use them as bait to lure in the others. From there the massacre would begin. This was no longer about world conquest, domination and uncontained power, for that would still come in its rightful time. No, this was about the total consistency of revenge.

***

Surely he would have to be out of his mind to remain there after it was found that Vega was actually alive. Bison would have murdered his ass on the spot if immediately known, and Balrog wanted to get in enough minimal leeway to get the hell out of there in the mere seconds following this discovery.

He had never run so fast through the corridors of the now crumbling Shadowlaw fortress. However the desire to escape had been only of second priority, sitting behind this greed influenced appetite for money. Once he had obtained his fair cut for his given services to the syndicate he was home free.

_Las Vegas, I'll be home soon, and stinkin' ass rich!_

He was aware that one of the larger safes was located within the sublevel contours of the downstairs laboratory. He had been there a countless number of times for purpose of trade monitoring and inventory. Sure the thought had crossed his mind in the past to take the money back then, but knew the repercussions faced if caught. Now it hadn't mattered, the sinking of this ship was inevitable.

Scanning in his retina, he accessed the secured underground safe leaving the door sitting wide open. Balrog thought for sure he would get away with no question, and perhaps this overconfidence was his flaw, for then he heard, "Interpol…. Hands behind your head and down on the ground! Slowly… Now!"

"Shit…"

Once lead outside, he could see that the frenzy heard from within had now since dissipated and agents within Interpol had everything in their control. It wouldn't be long before they would find Bison deep within and take him out as well. It would have certainly been an interesting sight to see them try if he wasn't in this current situation; that was, if Bison didn't try killing him first.

Balrog stood in long line now handcuffed with the other apprehended Shadowlaw workers, as they were one by one, escorted onto the waiting ship at the Northwest end of the river. Being placed into the custody of the feds was far from how he wanted this thing to ultimately go down, but at least he was safe for the time being.


	17. One Dark Circus

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

**One Dark Circus**

Her husband's busted and bruised eyes rolled upward in his head, as Charles Nash's relentless fists alternately pummeled his face. Julia looked on as Guile fell forward into a battered heap on the floor. He was still but his automaton-like friend did not rest.

In all of her twenty-nine years on this earth, she had never seen nor experienced such utter fear, anguish and grief all in one accord, and had assumed that most people wouldn't ever. Her racing heart already ached over the pain of her younger sister's loss, and the welfare of her children. She thought that two large blows were damage enough to one's own mind and that it would not get worse than this. However it had.

Seeing her husband there, beaten and degraded enough in mind and body, made her wonder whether see would also see him killed as well. It was all too much to bear, and in her heart she reached for that seemingly unattainable strength from within. God's strength, for it was all she had left.

As commanded, and even through the recent blare of alarms and flashing red lights, Charlie continued in the abuse, and would most likely do-so until Guile's life was exhausted. Julia screamed, begged and pleaded for the beating to stop, because she couldn't do this anymore. Her heart wouldn't take the pain of losing anyone else dear to her. Not in such senseless and brutal manner. Not when they had so much more to live for.

Ignoring her cries, Charlie unknowingly continued until she rushed him, grasping his waist, feeling the defined ridges of his boney back in an effort to pull him away.

A response to her effort was met with a spiteful back elbow to the side of her face. Charlie dropped his broken best friend and soon turned the focus of brutality upon her. Julia was nowhere near a skilled fighter like the others, and at that, she could barely remember what she'd learned as green belt during tae kwon do classes taken as a child. But in all effort of trying, she openhandedly slapped his face twice across each side.

Charlie barely flinched and those dead blue eyes stared devoid of motility as his firm hands grasped both her wrists within her vain attempt to gouge out his eyes with her fingernails. Blood had surfaced now on his cheeks in the struggle to bring her hands away from his face. Julia resisted against the force but even found within the rush of adrenaline that he was too strong and instantly she was overpowered in the clash. At a fair enough distance he shoved her into the floor, head knocking cement upon impact.

Then he came slowly forward in all his robotic intent and she cried to him again from the floor. "Please Charlie stop this! Please stop this!" Maneuvering her hands and feet, she clamored backward away from him, until meeting the wall. Sweat free flowed from her dirty face.

It had been a while since its operation, but suddenly laughter emitted loudly from the speaker system from some unknown control room. Her blood ran cold, as it had not been Balrog, the last man that was there to operate the device. This laugh was more bold and sinister, allowing Julia to immediately recognize who this had been.

"_Good! That's enough number 1165, cease and assume_!" It was like magic, Charlie's form halted in action and stood still, all focus in his eyes simply vanished. He was a standing dead man once more.

Julia exhaled, clutching her pounding chest. The excitement had now dissipated and she hurriedly made her way over to kneel down by her husband's fallen side. He remained there breathing but still out cold from the damage inflicted by his mind-altered best friend. To avoid risking any further damage she slowly turned him over to his back to better survey his wounds as best she could in the dimly-lit dark. With his head gently cradled in her lap she looked over his face.

There was no trace of familiarity in him that that point. Bruises, contusions, scrapes, and most likely fractures, accompanied the swelling of his battered visage. The sight was horrifying.

"_If only you were aware as to what was going on around you Mrs. Guile." _Bison said disdainfully over the speakers. _"Perhaps then you could now see the method to my madness."_

Julia pleaded with him. " "Please just let us go. We're sorry for whatever we've done… Please!" Her voice broke into sobs, "Please oh God make this stop."

"_Silence!_" He muttered. With his words came the pain pressed feeling of her body suddenly levitating from the ground, away from Guile, to be thrown in full force against the back cement wall.

Julia let out a tired wail of pain, as her body smacked the roughly against the flat surface. Her vision, along with a level of clarity darkened along the edges as the feeling in her head increased in a swelled pain. The side of her face simultaneously flared and throbbed with racing agony. Mental telepathy or whatever it was, she knew this power he possessed it was dangerously too much for one man to have.

The line was silent momentarily, and then he said, _"I see that Balrog had not made his way out here. That fool is probably running like all the others!"_ His tone regarded her with disgust, as if she had been the one responsible for his folly. _"My prized fighters and my minions, every one of them… gone!" _His laugh was now scornful_. "I suppose after what I finally do to this place, there will be an urgent need to get as far away as one possibly can! This loss does not faze me, as I have all of the necessary equipment needed to start over and start better!"_

Julia slowly sat her aching body upward, and cautiously crawled forward to where Guile laid.

"_Now all I'm left with is you; an irrelevant waste of space!_ _They should have killed you off, just like your sister!" _

Her past struggles centered on low self esteem and insecurities. After a life of growing up with an abusive and religious obsessed father, hearing these words was like poison to her mind and Bison had it all down; the same tone, the same sharpness and the same inclination for violence. Julia knew these hateful words were outright lies but even still after all the pain, hurt, and the predisposition for a cracked spirit, she instinctually wondered if his statement held a subconscious level of truth. Had she really ever been worth anything?

At that point there was no choice. Julia decided to remain firm and to be whatever support she could be to her injured husband, despite her imagined lack of skill and ability. Again she cradled Guiles head in his lap.

"_So Mrs. Guile… Are you ready?"_

"Ready for what!? Just get us out of here, please!"

His amusement in this sick game continued, _"Are you ready for that journey you'll all take…. into the next life?"_

"No, please we have young children, our family! Please don't do this!"

"_Number 1165..."Bison then ordered, ignoring her desperate pleas. "…Formerly known as Major Charles Nash…I have no more use for you… for your final order, I want you to kill them both and then…. yourself…"_

"NOOOO!" Julia's wails echoed through the room, but it was to be in vain, for then there was complete silence. Charlie stirred from his brief catatonic trance, his malicious intent eyes were again locked onto her.

"William!! Please!" Frantically Julia beat on her husband's chest for him to stir from his bout of unconsciousness. Guile just _had_ to wake up, but he did not stir.

As Charlie neared her, she quickly moved away, backing into a corner of the room to where she could better protect herself from those imminent pummels. Julia drew her knees up in front and covered her face and body while his fists slammed down onto her frame of protection. Each hard blow onto her shoulders, arms, legs, and back increased in strength by the second. The ripping pain through her body, the pounding tight pressure and battered flesh, it was like an endless nightmare.

She remained there covering her last shell of dignity, wailing and sobbing through the process. Still the fists relentlessly continued. In the agony a list of names were called out; Guile, Charlie, her sister, her children, the others and even Jesus Christ himself. But still those fists continued. She didn't know how much more of this she could take. All whits were lost, and Bison and his plethora of sick twisted amusement had conquered.

Charlie bent down to snatch her up by her long messy and now matted blonde hair. From where he had her, there was no place she could go. Just one release of a power packed hit and she was done for. Julia shut her eyes to brace herself.

The suddenness of his fall forward caught her off guard. Charlie staggered against her stunned by the blow he had received from behind. When Julia opened her worn and tired eyes, looking upward to survey the area, she saw her husband behind his friend, executing a series of punches to the base of his head and neck, to the point of where she could hear a sickening crunch of something give within the vertebra.

Any normal man would have buckled over instantly from the devastating blows, but Charlie turned toward Guile, his walks becoming increasingly chopped jerky and off balance in stride. He only walked a few steps towards his friend until falling forward at his feet.

Julia ran to Guile's side where he stood now peering down sadly at his friend who continued to convulse and sputter uncontrollably on the floor. Charlie's eyes fluttered opened and shut, his hand reaching for them both, but his effort had been reduced to nothing.

Her husband turned his saddened battered face towards her, gave her body a tight and loving embrace and kissed her without hesitation. Then he peered almost despondently at her, speaking the string of words he had been too proud to say in years. "I love you Julia… and I'm sorry… for all of this…"

They turned to Charlie again. It took some time, but eventually the convulsions diminished and he was now still. Those blue eyes were still opened and he stared at them without acted purpose.

Guile knelt down by his friend's side cautiously at first. "Charlie man what happened? What the hell did they do to you?"

Charlie said nothing, but the expression in his gaze slowly changed to a look of mounting surprise.

"Is he going to be alright?" Julia found herself asking.

Guile shook his head unsure; he then called for his friend again.

The faint flicker of recognition began to suddenly traipse within. While watching them, Charlie's eyes flooded onward with tears as he stared disbelievingly at both of them. "Guile…? Julia…?" The whisper was faint holding a weak element of clarity. The manner of his condition was still too soon to give any immediate prognosis.

"Charlie! Talk to me bro, we're here!" Guile said, now fervently.

The injured man now struggled to speak, in his own rush of excitement. His body shuddered as of trying to gain control of motor skills that had seemed so long out of use. The wavering in mobility of motion sparked a concern in Julia, prompting her to intervene in her husbands hastened actions. "Easy honey, he's not where he needs to be, let's not excite him."

"We need to get him some help... Damn it how do we get out this dark nightmare circus?"

Julia was at lost for words.

In a matter of mere moments, it was as if bad had gone to worse, when a woman's computer generated voice could now be heard announcing over the sound system that was wired throughout the large compound. _"Countdown sequence is now activated. This building had been set to destruct in five minutes in counting… 4:59… 4:58… 4:57… 4:56…"_

"You've got to be kidding me!" Guile cried.

"W-What do they mean by destruct!?"

"It means Bison's set to blow this joint into a million smithereens, that's what they mean."

Within a matter of seconds the urgency rapidly increased into a state of rising panic.

"Now Julia don't flip out, it will only prolong matters and we don't have time for that. Come on, get up, we need to somehow get ourselves out of here." He said standing.

As he stood to survey the door, Julia down knelt by Charlie's side, where his eyes uncontrollably twitched in an attempt to gain composure.

She smiled at him. "We'll get you out of here Charlie, please just hang on."

"Yeah and there's no way out of this rat hole either…" Guile muttered slamming the door with his fist. "They've got in locked tight in here… damn Bison."

"…_4:29… 4:28…4:27…"_

"We could call for help?" Julia suggested, but the options were scarce.

"Better than nothing..." Again, Guile pounded his fists and hands against the door as he called out as loud as he could for anyone he had hoped would hear him. Julia soon joined in the shouting.

"Boo…" Charlie whispered in a waivered breath. He wasn't initially heard above their shouting, but Julia was first to notice his attempt at speaking.

"Boo…" He repeated.

"Will… I think he's trying to tell us something!"

Guile ceased his fervent shouting to come to his friend's side again. His patience in the matter was wearing thin as the computer continued in her countdown. _"3:32… 3:31…"_

"So… Boo…" Charlie whispered insistently.

"What's he saying?" Julia asked

Charlie now awkwardly reached out to take hold of Guile's fist. His motions were infantile, making her wonder how much brain damaged he had endured while in the 2 year captivity of Shadowlaw.

Guile sighed, the walls were closing in. "Man, I don't know what you're sayin' Charlie."

The gaze was intense, still gasping Charlie shook Guile's fist in his hand "Son Boo!"

"Son Boo?" Julia repeated.

"Son Boo… Son… Boon..." He continued. "Son… Booo"

Guile's eyes met hers shaking his head. "I don't know what he's sayin'… I guess we're gonna die in here." There was now genuine fear and worry now rested far in his eyes.

Julia found herself weeping at this news. The face of reality was poisonously blooming before them. They needed something to happen, something to give with less than three minutes now to spare. It pained her knowing that only in the movies were the heroes and heroines rescued within a thread of the known catastrophe. It was never in real life. The battle was long over and they had lost.

Charlie shook Guile's fist, frustrated now that he couldn't get his words clear across like he wanted. "Boon! Sonk… Boon."

"Sonk Boon?" Guile repeated. "His eyes stared off to better catch the phrase. "Sonk Boon…. Sonk…. Sonic Boom?"

Charlie nodded that time. He was so excited in the moment that he consequently fainted against his already waning strength.

"Sonic Boom?" Julia repeated, "But you haven't sharpened it…"

It was Charlie who had initially taught Guile the method of Sonic Boom, the power of concentrated inner energy known as Chi that was consequently conjured within the depths of a focused and aligned mind and spirit. It was of one accord, both body and soul, to give way to uncontained power that would follow through as a force through the arms.

"That's all we have…" he said to her. "I don't know how I'll do it, but I'll try… I just hope the others are okay… God please let them all be okay"

Guile went to stand for the purpose of concentrating his full powered energy towards jarred tight steel door.

"_2:42… 2:41…" _

Guile raised his arms and swiftly brought them together, as a flash of lighted energy suddenly escaped his forearms. "SONIC BOOM!!" Instantaneously the door in front of him blasted away before them.

The out of practiced power was not first measured and pieces of metal and shards of debris uncontrollably flew, causing Julia to duck down over Charlie's head to avoid the both of them from being greatly injured. Beyond the opened blasted clearing she could now see out into the hallways which lead into a further unknown. Guile collapsed to the floor from the total loss of energy now following the blast.

"Honey!" She called, as the dust was now settling, "Get up, we need to get going!"

Guile managed to stand, surveyed the damage he had done and staggered his way back, first grabbing Charlie and hoisting his frail body over his own weakened shoulders. He then took a hold of Julia's hand and led her through the makeshift exit out into the hallway.

Just ahead a ways down the widened corridors were the cavern docking stations which at one time occupied boats. Julia remembered passing this small underground port along the way into their captivity. Only now it was vacant.

Guile paused momentarily to reposition Charlie in his grasp. Then he looked over the scene that was out before them.

"_1:15… 1:14… 1:13…"_

"What now!?" she cried.

Outwardly Guile appeared calm. "We have no choice but to swim, there's now just over a minute before this place goes up."

"But I haven't swum in…"

"You don't really have a choice sweetheart."

Guile was first to jump off of the dock and into the body of water out before them. He held Charlie's head, like a drowning victim, just enough above water, while using his stronger arm to swim outward towards the safe outside air.

Julia held her nose and plunged in behind him. The water naturally flooded around as the weight of her body was submerged momentarily from the jump, before floating back towards the surface. It was cold against her flesh, and she let out an initial gasp in surprise to the sudden change of body temperature. There she proceeded to follow him out, while the computer simulated voice continued in her countdown.

"_0:11… 0:10… 0:09…"_

"This way," Guile commanded, "Quickly!"

Seconds before the destruction, Julia like Guile, dove down deep underwater. The next string of unfolding events was found to be confusing as she felt her body being relentlessly tossed about like a rag doll within this sudden surge of strong current. There was no longer a sense of control and all clear direction was lost. Guile and Charlie were immediately not sensed within her immediately surroundings and she was alone. Large pieces of debris invaded her space, ripped flesh, bashed against her, and even above the feeling of fear the reality of what was happening had surmounted. This one-sided tussling continued for some time until all was still.

***

From his initial parachuted descent downward, Keith Wolfman had meticulously aimed his land at the upper most structure of the compound, just beyond the left knee of the large and barely decipherable vine covered Buddha statue. Together the MI-6 agents which followed in the descent successfully shot out the first missile operative in a combined effort preceding the fifth aircraft takedown. From the other side of the fortress, he would later learn that the force headed up by ICE had taken down the second operative from the other side, in addition to other smaller force weapons within the premises.

The Shadowlaw affiliates didn't surrender as easily as he thought they would, even after this devastating takedown, it surprised Wolfman to see the amount of resistance exercised within the confines. Many enemy troops, holding up the frontline, for the most part were instantaneously taken down due to their unwillingness to cooperate, while others went without struggle, realizing their defeat. From such an overall perspective, and after years of investigation, dead ends and aimless searching, this string of luck had certainly been a long time coming.

Now along the corridors, weapon drawn, he and the other agents scouted the initial interior, filtering in from all orifices of entranceways like a stream of a much required antiseptic. More workers, of various unknown purposes were apprehended has they made their hasty way towards the exit. The panicked and guttural cry of the alarm, in accordance with the flashing red lights, spilled along the emptying interiors in a now aimless purpose.

Wolfman knew that the one behind this long running operation, the man they were looking for, Bison had yet to be found, and with the amount of hidden doorways, and exits discovered in this labyrinth it was a given indication that finding him would prove to be more difficult than first thought.

They journeyed lower and lower into this compound, with an undefined idea as to how far down they would find themselves. Along the way he passed a bazaar influx of sights, strange things, containing no clue as to their initial purpose. It reminded him of some farfetched tampering of genetics and biology that deviant men like these should have never been allowed to access. Once the investigation went underway, only time would reveal the truth of intention, however until then, his inner man remained disturbed by these rather contrite possibilities. The focus now was the mission of locating Bison, as well as agent White.

When he did finally find her, she was heading up the guarding of an entranceway indicated as subsector B on the above doorway. Her shrunken blue eyes reflected the empty dead stare of voided complex cerebral process.

Wolfman naturally called for her and she did not respond, instead she lunged at him in the less than mindful attempt to strike, holding a disregard to the fact that he was armed and she was not. Her fist met his face with a force that he was not expecting from the smallness of her frame. She had gotten stronger during her time gone missing; her muscles contained a level of increased definition that was previously had not been there. He fell backward losing his balance from the force of the blow.

The other two agents with him immediately raised their rifles but he prohibited any ounce of fire.

"Do not shoot!!" he shouted, "As indicated on the briefing she is being controlled in her mind somehow."

Cammy kicked his face as he went to pull himself upward.

"There's something critical inside!" Wolfman commanded through pummels, "Go and locate the hostages…. leave her to me."

It was clear in their worried eyes that they were reluctant to proceed without him, but as of now Wolfman still figured he could contain his misplaced agent through means of controlled force and that it would just take a matter of time before she would be subdued.

Cammy repeatedly executed punch after punch at his face, neck, and solar plexus. Some blows were successfully blocked, while others weren't, and she did not cease. The series of strikes ended in a low powerful spiraled spinning kick, which set his off his feet again once more.

His eminent downfall lied within the hesitancy of hurting her.

Wolfman's head barely missed her spiked combat boot, as it forcefully came down for the purpose of stomping out his existence. He let his rifle temporarily fall to the side and stood, coming around quickly to grasp her from behind, setting the pressure from the entirety of his weight on to subdue her. She pressed against his hold, trying to bring her arms upward in all attempts to break free, but it was temporarily foiled.

"Look here love…" He began in his teeth clenched voice, "I'm not sure what they've done to you but you need to snap yourself out of this mess here. This is Colonel Wolfman damn it…YOUR commander…"

No response, just struggle, and she was strong, almost inhumanly strong. It came down to the point that his hold was starting to wear, sweat poured from his brow and his arms ached from the effort.

In slip of this weakness Cammy stooped herself down enough to leverage her body in a manner that was set to hoist him clear over her head. Through her exerted cry, his body flew upward, and was momentarily suspended in air. He landed on his back hitting the metal flooring instantaneously. She brought him up by the lapels of his uniform with one hand, and spitefully struck his face until he went to his knees. From there she executed a stealthy kick under the chin.

Wolfman consequently fell backward again but instinctually shoulder rolled back onto his feet. Swiftly he took the rifle which had previously fallen from his hands, and brought it upward just in time to block another boot that came at his face.

Now stepping backward through the doorway into subsector B, rifle now pointed toward her, he said, "I don't want to do this… You're a great agent… Cammy… come to your right mind of senses…"

Ignoring his plea she continued forward at him with no relent intended. It was as if her ears were deaf to any ounce of reasoning and her uncontrolled appetite only held desire for brutality and violence.

By no means was this the Cammy he knew. The woman he knew held an upright dignity took her job seriously, and possessed the utmost desire to protect and serve her country the best damned way she could. Strong both mentally and physically, her desire to stand on a certain air of higher class naturally held her in the position to use violence as only a last needed resort.

He didn't want to hurt her but was rapidly running out of options. It would certainly jeopardize her attempt at continuing her position as an agent with Delta Red, but if the rifle didn't disable her now, there was no question that she would surely kill him in the end.

Wolfman let out a string of obscene curses when the five minute countdown to detonation began. They could not have been serious. Not now, not after everything they'd gone through to locate Bison and apprehend all of the perpetrators in this large and years long continuous investigation.

As Cammy came at him, he quickly radioed the others, ordering an immediate evacuation of the building as well as the premises. The butt end of the rifle met her face sharply and Cammy's head whiplashed backward against the force. Still it was as if the pain had not fazed her and she came at him again. The minutes commenced in the exchange of struggle.

There were now three minutes remaining. They couldn't keep this up any longer with the criticality of the matter bearing down upon the scenario heavily. After much weighing of hesitancy he had no choice but to do this now. Despite the fact that this would jeopardize her chance of remaining an agent, Wolfman took a deep inhale of breath, pulled his accompanying pistol from the shoulder holster and open fired on her knees.

Cammy subsequently buckled in her efforts of malice and fell forward as a result. Her eyes even still showed no trace of pain over the recent injuries inflicted upon her as there was only the murderous intent which remained. Now fully stretched across the floor she dragged herself toward him intently. Even in her crippled state, her efforts and programmed desired to destroy him were a forefront in her mind and she was relentless. That was when he struck the rifle's edge down upon the side of her face, her neck, and then her shoulders.

Cammy was now out for the count, and there was now only two minutes remaining. Even if there were just a few minutes added to the time it would take to get out of there, they would not make it out of there.

For Keith Wolfman time was drawing thin. Injured and in pain, he stooped down, gathered her fallen form into his arms, and made a haste-filled run in the direction in which he came.

Wolfman made what he thought would be a shortcut through the lower portion of a laboratory as he felt the destruction commence from somewhere in the near distance. The quaking ground started subtle but then grew increasingly strong as he was set off his feet and against a nearby wall with her unconscious form still in his arms. Soon the walls began to violently close in, the floors ripped up around them as he now covered his body over hers for protection.

The ceiling caved down in over top of them. In that mode of circumstance, making it out alive was questionable.

***

The blare of the alarm and the flashing code red lights were spent throughout the fortress and the atmosphere was now at an eerie stillness. From the moment he stepped off that boat, Sagat knew that both his life and freedom were at stake. Noises in the far distance echoed through the corridors giving indication that agents had steadily taken over the force. Sounds of arrest, struggle and even gunshot determined that much. If he didn't get out of there soon, he would be of the ones apprehended, and began to figure that Ken going in his place would have certainly been better suited.

_So much for trying to be heroic…_

"I remember his orders," Sagat told Ryu as they backtracked through the fortress. "They should be somewhere around in this sector, but so far nothing."

"And it doesn't look like they've been confined and locked in the cells…"

"Of course they wouldn't, that would be the first place they'd look for them." Sagat replied, "The best thing to do is to check the control room for sector B and survey each camera to see if we can account for them… However we must be cautious. Agents have stormed the fortress and Bison is still nowhere to be seen…"

"Right…"

He lead with Ryu following closely behind up towards the B sector control room. The journey from the sub dock to their intended destination was not lengthy, but the amount of stress attached by fear of getting caught made the trip seem longer than what it really was.

Through a secret entryway and staircase known by Sagat, they found themselves along the corridor leading up to the control room. Bodies of both Shadowlaw Soldiers and Interpol Agents littered the floor around them. It was no doubt that this was Bison's doing, as he held no regard for the lives of others, regardless of the fact that even some of the men and women who laid in this floor had respectfully served them to their cruel and terrible end. The notion of such angered Sagat further.

Ryu seemed equally disgusted at the sight, holding the same twisted understanding of Bison's methods. "Unbelievable. He kills his own men?"

"Apparently…"

Upon surveying them closer, Sagat could see that these devious actions were fairly recent. Most had either suffered broken necks or severe head injuries. Blood poured from underneath of the helmet gear that had failed to protect them. Gaping twisted mouths of horror and wide eyes stared opened and into the final enclave of death.

Bison's voice could now be heard from beyond the room of initial purpose. He was speaking in his typical tone of disdain. "….This loss does not faze me, as I have all of the necessary equipment needed to start over and start better! Now all I'm left with is you; an irrelevant waste of space! They should have killed you off, just like your sister!"

"He's talking to Julia…" Ryu's voice lowered to a whisper that time, "You think they're in there with him?"

"Hard to say at this point…"

There was momentary silence then, "So Mrs. Guile… Are you ready?"

"_Ready for what!? Just get us out of here, please!"_ Julia's fear-filled electronic sounding voice could be heard through a system of sound speakers.

Sagat turned to Ryu voice still lowered, "He's got her on monitor from another room."

"Are you ready for that journey you'll all take…. into the next life?"

"_No, please we have young children, our family! Please don't do this!"_ She continued to plead.

Naturally Bison ignored her."Number 1165, Formerly known as Major Charles Nash…I have no more use for you… for your final order, I want you to kill them both and then… yourself…"

"_NOOO---"_ her voice was now cut as the sound speaker was disengaged from the line.

Sagat turned to his rival, "I'm going in, come in behind me when I need backup."

"Right," Ryu obliged

At that point it was now or never. Sagat accessed the secured door and opened it, allowing an entryway inside. In the distance at the monitor control board station, Bison could be seen gathering papers inside a dark silver briefcase along with a smaller set of black boxed devices that were placed in the inner portion of his dark red uniform.

As Sagat approached, Bison did not look up from what he was doing but incidentally spoke in regards to his presence. "Awfully brave Sagat… Awfully brave indeed…"

"It's too late for this…" Sagat said in calm demand. "Interpol is out there making arrests and has stormed this place…"

"They'll soon think twice about that." Bison grumbled.

"Where are the hostages?"

"Dead!" He snarled fervently, icy hot pupil-less eyes now burned through him in a feat of challenge. "And soon you will be also!" Without warning, fists with the glowing consistency of blue came forward at him.

In a reflexive reaction, Sagat ducked the double set of punches, and counteracted in his own equally devastating uppercut. As Bison was sent airborne from this blow, Sagat stepped back extended his long leg outward into another devastating kick to the lower abdomen. The dictator went crash-landing into the button control board. Sparks and broken pieces flew without incident.

"You don't think about your own actions Sagat, you want to play noble hero only to find yourself crashing and burning like the rest of this miserable place!"

Sagat stood there with his vision in a clear scope of his new enemy. He was ever watchful of the madman's next string of moves knowing that his life was jeopardized if even one error move was made.

Bison stood as he wiped the fresh trail of blood from his lip, gave his humorless spiteful grin and came toward him once more. Before even having the time and notion to counterattack whatever move was being executed, Ryu prematurely came forward in his line of defense. His first series of punches were adequately blocked by Bison, and the next few moments were spent watching the two of them spar.

Bison enjoyed the trepidation. "That's right my boy, give me all of the power you can give me. Every… last… ounce…" His voice deepened enough to sound like it had been run through sound player that had been slowed. The element of it was satanic in nature, disturbing Sagat deep down to the core of his perceptual senses. He watched on from where he stood as Bison's countenance began to change. His red garbed exterior shimmered along the edges with more brilliant blue as that deep seeded and very dreadful power began to make itself known.

In one solid blow, he saw fist connect with Ryu's midsection. The impact sent even this skilled young fighter into a momentary disheveled heap across the room and into a nearby wall.

As Sagat rushed his back turned opponent, he could hear Ryu coughing violently in the distance from the loss of breath on impact. He executed a flying tiger knee into the lower part of Bison's back sending him onto the floor once more. But he could not hold back; grabbing the cloak he turned the General's disoriented body over to meet face to face. His intent was to catch this demonic abomination in another series of strikes, to wear him down, to injure him enough to be captured and apprehended once and for all.

As a viper striking its prey, his hand caught Sagats throat, locking on tight like a vice. The pressure mounted by the seconds, crushing his Adam's apple, ceasing all blood flow and restricting the air supply. Sagat should not have found himself so caught off guard, but he was. No longer able to breathe he stared at his former ally in a wide eyed panic of frenzy. His hands clawed uselessly at that gloved and malevolent bearing, the desperation for oxygen was at a forefront.

Bison stared at him snarling in laughter that was no longer his own. "Heh! Now you die…" There it came, that almost uncontained power coursing through like an electric current within the flow of his large exterior. The accompanied blue light trailed up his arm, into his hand and consequently sent a wave of unbearable pain through Sagat's body.

As the evil stricken laughter continued, he began to feel the trailing effects of fainting as his body started to feel light. The new course of pain and the loss of oxygen… the darkness rapidly closed in around him.

"_HA-DO-KEN!!"_

Before losing just seconds of consciousness, Sagat saw the ongoing flash of light rushing at both him and Bison from behind. The hold on his crushed throat was instantly released and he collapsed on the floor in a spasm of sputter and wheezing. When gaining some sense of clarity and while holding his sore Adam's apple, Sagat soon came to realize that this new wave of energy did not come from Bison… but Ryu…

The dictator lay momentarily sprawled on the ground, his cape and large section of his upper garment has been instantly seared in the blast, exposing burnt and smoking flesh. Now coming to a hunched over stand, his numerous injuries were apparent.

It was the second time tonight that Sagat found himself dumbfounded with what his eyes had witnessed. How?

With his brown eyes locked onto Bison glaring unmercifully, Ryu's stance seemed humble yet triumphant. His labored breathing indicated that this recent release of energy tired him. He glistened with perspiration and perhaps something much more undefined.

"That power…" Bison managed to speak. He was just as dismayed a Sagat had been.

"I should kill you…" Ryu muttered, "but I'm better than that… We can let the appropriate authorities handle you from here."

Bison smirked as he settled his back against a nearby control panel "Hmph! How very noble …and stupid of you."

Ryu looked over to Sagat, expression softening to concern. "You alright?"

He found himself nodding as he managed to stand.

"Stupid!" Bison again repeated. His seared quaking hand quickly acted instantaneously to smash the small glass emergency window activating the once protected lever inside. "You and your damned heroic nobility is a weakness." Bison snarled at Ryu. "There is no one in this world worth protecting… worth saving… no one. It is the power. …that uncontained power you have… that is all you live for Ryu. That power…"

Ryu appeared to take in Bison's string of nonsense in full scope.

The lights in the room dimmed as the computer's voice was heard over the system. Sagat knew what it meant. He had activated the irreversible self destruct modular. _"Countdown sequence is now activated. This building had been set to destruct in five minutes in counting… 4:59… 4:58…"_

"Once it has you… there's no overcoming it." Bison's assured words sounded promising.

"You're mad!" Ryu said in a shout as he heard the system countdown. His worry surfaced while thinking of the welfare of the others. There was so little time now. Quickly he grabbed the lapels of Bison's tattered uniform pulling him upward so that their eyes met. "Where are my friends!?"

"Dead…"

Ryu punched his face causing a spray of sweat and blood. "We need to get them out of here before this place blows. Now where are they!?"

"I already told you…"

The punches to Bison's face turned repetitive.

Perhaps Ryu would not have stopped if Sagat hadn't intervened. "There's not much time Ryu we need to get out of here before this place goes up. Please."

Ryu slammed Bison's useless body into the floor. "Were going to just let this maggot kill off my friends? They have three small children at home who are afraid and worried about them! How am I going to tell them that their mom and dad are no longer here?"

Sagat was at loss for words. With only around three minutes remaining there was no way they would find their own way out in the ample scope of time. He could see that the young man was at a cross road in his mind of morality. His friends were in there, running a great risk of leaving their young children behind to be orphaned. Now either of them could only hope for the best.

Bison stood; dazed from all he had endured in recent moments. The articles he had initially assembled on his person had since littered the floor from that chi powered explosion executed by Ryu. Now he took his time to despondently gather the remaining pieces, whatever they had been, and return them to the side pockets designated in the contours of his uniform.

Sagat thought of ways in which to escape, thinking of the possible hidden exits they could take in the last remaining minutes. The seconds rapidly increased.

When he had the items back in his possession Bison entered some numbers on the control pad. "My quest has not ended…" he said quietly, "It's only begun…"

"What are you spouting now!?" Sagat growled.

"I made my statement known and it shall come to pass. You all will die…" When he turned to face outward Sagat could see how hideously disheveled he appeared and wondered why he hadn't noticed this in Bison before. His pupil-less eyes had darkened to pits of black and his now pale gaunt face held an undertone of an almost sickly jaundiced coloration. He could see the age of wrinkling lines in patterned wave-like creases all throughout his featured contours. It was hideous. This new lack of energy in the dictator had revealed something that was more in concise with the truth; an aged and disfigured ghoul. "This body of mine has been exhausted and timing couldn't be more perfect…" He looked at Ryu, "It's a shame you will have to die before the definition of your power is realized young man… oh the infinite possibilities you could have obtained…"

At once the back wall of the control room folded inward and opened to reveal the outside landscape of jungle and river several stories below from this aged mountain. Bison edged the entranceway taking everything he had in possession.

"You're not leaving here!" Ryu called running after him. "You will stay and die here like the rest of us!" He was stop by a blast of blue energy emitted from his hand. Still weak from the power he had recently displayed, the young man fell back onto the ground.

"What were you trying to prove here general? Your objective was in vain, your accomplishments remained unrealized, and your lack of patience caused you to blindly underestimate your foes, every last one of them beginning with Agent Dorai Xiang! What was the purpose in any of this! Innocent lives all around were taken, families shattered! WHAT WAS YOUR PURPOSE!?" Sagat shouted at him. He was now reminded of his own neglected daughter.

Bison laughed at his words. "Perhaps it was you who failed to see purpose Victor… you are not exempt from this feeling. You wanted this more than anyone, now look at you! Old... Tired… Washed up… A has been… nothing! You're nothing! One thing remains here, and that is _my_ dignity. All of your years spent with Shadowlaw you should have remained mindful in everything I taught your sorry existence… One virtue should have outshined in conscience over all others… and that was to always remain one step ahead of the plan. I will rise again! Trust me… this is not over!"

He could hear the low hum of the small jet powered aircraft that slowly arose upward to hover at the floor level of the opened control room. Its dark blue and grey body appeared much in the same size and shape as a standard copter minus the typical propellers. The rounded exterior was more in line with a futuristic ideal holding a matching stealthy appearance of aerodynamics. Jet powered engines lined the side and undercarriage of the vehicle. Sagat had never seen anything like it before in all his time spent in the organization.

One step ahead… So this was his last resort. Escape. And it appeared as though he had succeeded. Bison's haggard exterior rapidly worsened before his eyes against the glow of the torching fueled fire behind him. With a sagged and lopsided grin he went to step inside the waiting doors, just as the countdown had ended.

The impact shook the entire large room; the rumble from the series of blasts worked its way in a downward shaking effect sending both he and Ryu back to the floor. Pieces of rock began to rain along the opening just at Bison disappeared inside the fire powered vehicle.

In the distance above them something seemingly large and equally heavy shifted. A large groan sounded out in concurrence as the various levels of foundations were split from the erupting series of destruction. Something large hit from above then tumbled along the outside of the fortress, rolling down and creating additional quakes in its wake.

The aircraft had no time to make it out and escape the devastating crush it would receive. As detonation had commenced, the large stone Buddha once secured in his rocky enclave rolled down along the mountain smashing down upon the aircraft carrying Bison in its path. In its descent downward it snatched the damaged remains, as both disappeared from sight and ending in another explosion.

There was no time to even absorb what he had just seen. A second wave of explosives ignited somewhere within inside and at that point the doors into the control room exploded inward creating more circumspective destruction as the walls around cracked, crumbled and began to give way.

The opening created as a means of escape by Bison began to compress under all of the weight and together he along with Ryu ran and air dove through the last rapidly shrinking window of opportunity.

They tumbled uncontrollably down the rocky side of the makeshift degenerating palace. Each bumped slope was more painful than the previous.

Sagat didn't know when or where he had landed but a large portion of stone foot left by Buddha himself had broken the fall. Blood from a new formed head wound distorted the clarity of his vision.

When all was clear he caught sight of the downed aircraft several yards ahead still resting under the weight of Buddha's torso. He could feel the heat of the flames against his face.

Ryu landed several feet away, against a thicket of bushes. He sat up slowly, turned and stared up devastated at the sight he saw up ahead. "Guile… Julia…" he spoke somberly.

"Were not out of the clear yet kid!"

More rocks rained down, some more boulder sized than anything.

Bypassing the downed aircraft, together the two of them ran from that still dangerous area and headed up towards the river that lay before them. Just before the clearing, Sagat could see the lined agency boats now carrying away the apprehended passengers of Shadowlaw.

Droves of Interpol agents lined the shore side from either end; many were still left in shock and alarm from the recent line of explosions they had just witnessed. He didn't want to chance anything in that moment, for freedom was on the line. It was right there that they halted, enough away from sight to not be spotted by anyone.

Ryu stared warily at him. "If we go any further you will be arrested."

"No doubt…"

"Where will you go?"

"Unsure… If I hide out deep in the woods for a bit and make my trek by foot I should be able to bypass them. There are no vehicles left to take, they've all been destroyed and the remaining ones have probably been confiscated by Interpol."

Ryu remained quiet that time.

"More likely than not they probably have taken refuge in the bordering city so I will head North for a bit and then from there… I don't know…"

"This wasn't how I wanted it to end." Ryu said sadly looking out over the ruin that was now behind them. "What will I tell those children?"

"It will be fine…" He assured. There was never intent to lie but was there really a choice?

Ryu sighed after a lengthy pause. "Well, I suppose this is where we part ways."

"For now…"

The young man eyed him in question.

"We aren't finished. When the dust of this mess has settled, I want a rematch."

They could hear footsteps just beyond the brush of trees some distance ahead.

"So be it." He finally replied. "For now just get out of here before they find you."

"That power you possess… Where did you learn-"

"The Hado…"

"Oh believe me I know." Sagat assured him. "Something that madman had been attempting to tap into for years and never could. It's impressive you know so much about it."

"It's something I've been working on for years now. I learned it's concept from my late master before he died. He never lived to see me reach the correct potential. In all honestly… I didn't think it would work…"

"Our minds are a wonder. It is amazing the wealth of activity we can tap into if we only had the focus." Sagat smirked holding out his hand to shake. "I look forward to our next challenge…"

Ryu remained unsmiling in lieu of the events, accepting the handshake.

After going their separate ways, he peered out over the ruins that were once the Shadowlaw fortress. His gaze then averted to the fiery crash holding the remains of General M. Bison, the dictator that he served and worked under for a number of years. Was it really all finished? Just like that?

Divine intervention, karma, justice served, eventual consequence, just desserts, or God's Judgment; whatever one wanted to call this odd and unexplained twist of events, Sagat knew that Bison was well over compensated for his devious actions and it was now over.

***

The series of explosions erupted in the distance as the clouds of smoke were seen just beyond the canopy of trees. The fortress was destroyed; Chun-Li could see it in the sunrise, even from the range of distance there on the boat. The consistency of dread had overtaken.

It wasn't soon after that the helicopters began flying overhead. The urgency of the situation was felt within the atmosphere.

"What the hell!?" Ken was first to speak.

Dropping to her knees, she shook her head in disbelief. "That wasn't enough time… They could not have gotten out in that amount of time."

"I should have gone with him. Damn it…" Ken muttered. "This can't be happening right now… Not after everything we've been through."

Those trustworthy companions of despair and fear, they were steadfast in their allegiance to her. Even now as the unlikely possibility of her friend's escape from that devil's trap had been further realized. It had only been several minutes at the most when she had last seen Ryu and Sagat leave inside of that building. Now as she saw the dense smoke rise up, the outcome appeared more and more uncertain.

A hand placed itself at the small of her back as she broke into a defeated sob. When she turned to look up she found him there kneeling next to her.

Vega's impassive eyes remained unstirred even after all of what had recently taken place. He was now there by her side in this odd attempt to console. It was always him. He had again saved her, and because of this she was alive. The child inside of her, undeniably their child, was healthy and unharmed.

"Don't cry beautiful…" His fingers caught her tears in midst if their trails. "Do not cry anymore…" Neither his tone nor expression was comforting. Displaced words they were, influenced by an unrealistic expectation of her composure. She imagined for him that crying was not a becoming trait in women he found to be beautiful. This was his shallow mode of operation and this disgusted her.

The simplicity of his words caused her emotions to rush in harder. She fell forward thinking of all she had endured; the loss of her father, Eliza, and now Guile, Julia and Ryu. Her friends; everyone she loved was taken from her. Always.

_Why?_

It was as if all the energy had been spent within her soul. Every ounce of fortitude was gone. His arm caught her in the transition of her emotional collapse pulling her forward tightly against his chest; tight enough to hear his racing heart.

"I can't do this anymore!" She screamed "No more of this! Why? I never did anything to deserve this!" Her fists beat him aimlessly in frustration, fighting and pushing against his hold on her, "Get off of me! I hate you!" She cried, "You did this! YOU DID THIS TO ME! THIS IS YOUR FAULT! THEY SHOULD HAVE JUST KILLED YOU!!! THEY SHOULD HAVE PUT YOU OUT OF YOUR MISERABLE EXISTENCE!!"

"Chun-Li snap out of it!" Ken shouted. "Pull yourself together." He stopped the boat to come to her aid. "All we can do now is home for the best… that's all we have."

"I'm not letting you go…" Vega said calmly. Her feral words created no discharge as his hold on her was withstanding.

She continued to fight and scream until her exertion was finally spent. Chun-Li fell into his chest sobbing uncontrollably over what life had become around her. Her wails rang out into the now still jungle. She cried and cried without ceasing, the tears in a life of pain ran down like waterfalls.

"Father, Ryu, Guile, Julia, Eliza… Why? I want them back, please God give them back to me!"

Her broken spirit emanated the surroundings. Even after everything was said and done; every foul ill-intent word within the outburst of that emotional breaking point, he still held her.


	18. Illuminating the Obscurity

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

**Illuminating the Obscurity**

At daybreak additional mayhem soon stirred in wake of the recent blast and the consequential onrush of waters from the river calmed. The United States military arrived on the scene and both troops and agents alike scoped newly made ruins of the fortress as well as the surrounding vicinity for any possible survivors.

"These look like two of the hostages MI-6 informed us of in the briefing…" A man's voice was heard emerging from the distance. He sounded American.

"Ah… they're not looking so well sir. Are they dead?" Another intervened.

"Don't know, go inform the commander and radio the medics. Let them know they've been found. Hurry it up!"

He could hear what sounded like footsteps rustling through dried brush. The smell of wet outside soon filled his nostrils.

When Guile opened his focusing eyes, they were met with the glare of the morning sun reflecting off the river causing him to close, refocus and open them again. As sensation returned to his body so did the dull feeling of soreness and pain. It was like he'd been hit by an eighteen-wheeler or something far worse. His disheveled hair and clothing were soaked from their escape into the river. An escape he didn't think he'd survive once the explosion hit.

Remembering all of the details of what happened he sat up with some difficulty finding that he was partially submerged along the more stagnant coastline of the river bank. He could see Julia lying on her side washed ashore several yards ahead of him, but Charlie whom he'd initially carried unconscious into the water was nowhere to be found.

"Major Guile?" A voice inquired from behind. "CID agent Major William Guile? Is that you?"

Guile turned to see a younger agent whom he did not recognize. Indicated on his gear he could see he was with ICE.

With a sigh of relief he said, "Yeah that's me. What the hell took you guys so long to get here?"

"They've just radioed for more medics from the refuge came, they'll be arriving shortly. Are you alright to stand?"

With his assistance Guile stood. Injuries from his fight with Charlie were more apparent now as he made his way to where Julia was. He knelt down gently by her side, as she laid there with her eyes closed. He was thankful she was breathing and hadn't drowned by the rush of current that took them, but he wasn't so sure about Charlie.

He called for her, brushing her cheek with his finger, caressing her wet matted blonde hair. In her sleep she stirred a bit before awaking.

"Where?" She asked suddenly opening her eyes in alarm.

"It's alright. We made it out. Were at the other side of the river, just a ways out it looks like."

Guile could see the smoking mountain fortress now out in the distance from where they had washed ashore. His mind pondered on his friends.

Julia stood upon taking in notice of her surroundings, eyes scanning the agent who quietly stood there and then him. "Where's Charlie?"

"Don't know. When the place went down the current ripped him from my arms."

"I'm from the Office of International Affairs with ICE, Roy McAllister special agent. Who's this 'Charlie' you're referring to?" The man stepped in. "Is this another hostage we weren't informed about?"

Guile checked his wife over for any injuries she may have received. They were minor cuts and bruises, nothing debilitating. He helped her up ensuring she maintained a steady balance until she was okay to walk on her own.

Finally to agent McAllister Guile said, "CID agent, Major Charles Nash. He disappeared a few years ago and was given up for dead. We found him in captivity while held hostage, under some type of mind control. He was with us earlier and now, I don't know where the hell he is"

"I don't even know how you two even made it out alive."

"We swam." Julia said.

"Yeah," Guile began, "they kept a pretty intricate docking system at the base of the cavern. We escaped our prison and were swimming out when the whole place went up."

Within minutes additional help arrived. The two of them were lead further into where the agents and troops had gathered many of the former Shadowlaw workers onto the boats to be taken back into the capital city for booking. Amongst the many faces in captivity he spotted the man who led raid on their house.

Balrog's wrist and ankle cuffs were chained together limiting his strides. This was a fine sight to be seen, but neither Bison nor Sagat's face surfaced even after scanning the crowd twice.

The two men locked gazes momentarily. Balrog seemed surprised that the two of them had managed to be rescued, especially after being the one to initially ensure there was no escaping from their prison.

Guile glared his way, flipped the middle finger, and then turned around to meet Julia's eyes of chastisement.

"What?" He asked.

"Yeah I saw that. Real mature William. The law has taken care of him, and he got what was coming. Do you have to make matters worse, by rubbing it in?"

"That was just my little good-bye present to him." Guile said sarcastically. "I hope he has a blast in prison."

They were placed in a large stationary helicopter where a Navy medical team surveyed their injuries and tested their vitals. It was found that Julia was dehydrated and he himself may have suffered a slight fracture to his left cheekbone. Although that would not be determined until the x-ray results came out.

"We're not leaving." He told the medical crew, "We're not leaving until you all find Charlie, ya hear!?"

"Major the troops and agents are doing everything they can to locate him at this time. You're going to have to come with us to the neighboring town so that we can better treat your injuries." One tech explained.

"Honey let's do what they say. They'll find Charlie." Julia suggested. "Neither one of us are fit to do anything right now."

"I'm not letting him slip away from me again!" Guile argued that time.

Her dull eyes were pained at the brashness of his statement, but in turn she said nothing.

"I mean you clowns didn't even ask for any type of description, nothing! He's got no ID, but a tattoo with the number 1165 on his neck. He's in a hospital gown, shaved head, and poor motor skills. He was nowhere near the Major Charles Nash that was remembered."

Two of the Navy techs taking Julia's blood pressure exchanged knowing glances upon Guile's description. "That sounds like the man we pulled unconscious from the water about an hour ago." One of them said.

Guile's ears perked at this bit of news. "You mean to tell me that found a man with the tattoo of the number 1165 on his neck?"

"We did, earlier this morning, about an hour ago just after sunrise." A female technician spoke in. "Agents have reported that he washed to shore later after the explosion hit. He would've drowned where he was still unconscious, if they hadn't pulled him out in time."

Guile stood as they worked on his injuries. He didn't want to be fussed over anymore and needed to further know his friend's condition. "So where is he now?"

"Troops and Agents have set up camp in the _Na Yang Klak _village about several miles southwest from here" McAllister spoke in. "That's most likely where they took him…" His eyes prodded Guile's inability to cooperate. "And also you should probably hold still while they treat your injuries."

But Guile didn't care about any of that, this obsession was resurfacing. Now ignoring the agent's suggestion he promptly prepared himself to leave, "Ok so let's not waste any more time. Take us out there, now!"

Julia stood by quietly. The concern that was etched in her expression had deepened.

***

Mission failed. This was the coined terminology of the situation. He had simply failed.

After the walls had caved in over top of them, the now still silence was more daunting than the first sounds and impact of explosion that turned everything around into debris and rubble. The line of fire from the blast had not hit their level and they were fortuned in that.

In the moment that they laid there pinned, weight bearing between the broken metal wall structures, Colonel Keith Wolfman wondered if he and the still unconscious Agent White would be brought out of this ruined substructure alive. He didn't want to ponder on the possibilities of making it out in a timely manner. He had ventured so far down to find her that it would probably take some time before they were actually located.

The series of the recent destructive events had warped all perception of time. The weight of the collapsing metal wall had provided a protective shield in that moment but its initial fall has cracked his helmet leaving him slightly disoriented. Cammy remained unharmed as his body had acted as a shield in her defense.

Confusion had accompanied this feeling of failure. So much so that Wolfman didn't register what was transpiring when the noise from his walkie-talkie device had ensued. _"Colonel! Are you alright!? Do you copy Colonel!?"_

He grimaced as his head throbbed against the ringing noise in his ears.

"_Colonel, please copy!"_ It was the voice of Agent Luwanda.

Within that enclosure, movement and space were greatly constricted. Anyone with issues of claustrophobia would have surely had a meltdown of sanity by now.

Body soreness was then apparent upon movement. With difficulty he pulled his arm from under her hoisted injured knees and felt along the contours of his torso to activate the device. He was more dismayed that it was even still in working order.

With a sigh he managed to activate the talk button to speak into the small microphone on his headgear.

"In one piece… At least I think so." His voice rasped.

"_Oh thank goodness! What's your location!? Did you make it out alive?"_

"No we didn't. We're trapped a ways down in Subsector B. I've got agent White here with me. She's down and needs a medic."

"_Terrific, you found her! Are you injured Colonel?"_

"I'm not sure. I can barely move. There's just a metal wall shielding us. Please hurry! I don't know how much longer it will give with this weight."

"_That's a 10-4 Colonel; we're dispatching help right now."_

"Thanks Lieutenant." The conversation was discharged.

Wolfman settled his head back against the rubble in attempts to find a more comfortable position.

Cammy stirred against him but did not awaken. Following a string of unintelligible words, she called out his name.

"I'm right here Cammy. I'm right here… by your side…"

***

She never remembered falling asleep but Chun-Li instantly awoke from her dreamless slumber to a light nudge in the lower side.

"We've arrived…" Vega said in a voice devoid of tone. His eyes looked past her to scan the village which lay before the now docked boat.

Disoriented, Chun-Li looked around from the floor to focus her swollen puffy eyes on her immediate surroundings. Her mind soon painfully recalled the explosion.

"Hey…" Ken smiled at her; the forlornness of his façade was prevalent. "Looks like we made it here in one piece." His outstretched hand reached for hers.

Chun-Li didn't want to think about any of it. Instead she bypassed his advance and stretched her stiffened body. While in suit of standing, she immediately had to brace herself as the rise of mild Braxton Hick's contractions pressurized across her abdomen. Such occurrences were common in the third trimester, so there was no need for alarm. Her stresses in that moment were focused elsewhere.

"Come…" Vega said quietly. He walked to the edge of the boat and held out his hand to assist her exit.

After her sharp words of fire, he seemed distant or even angry at her; but perhaps not. She didn't care… and it didn't matter anymore.

Making their way toward the heart of the village, she could see lines of stationed helicopters in the distance as droves of agents were scattered through that once seemingly peaceful commonage. The inhabitants of _Na Yang Klak_ stared on in eyes of bewilderment from their simple dwellings. The chaos which developed from the Shadowlaw aftermath seemed to literally seep its way downstream. US military medics carried and tended to the injured casualties, while some Interpol agents were seen heading back towards the river. It was a relief to see them there.

"Miss Xiang, Mister Masters?" A voice called out from the midst of the crowd.

"That's us…" Ken spoke in first as the three of them halted in their tracks.

The young man approaching them was small in both height and frame. Though uniformed he managed to hold a rather disheveled appearance, contrary to the expectations for law enforcement conformity. From the looks of his attire Chun-Li was unable to decipher which agency he had originated.

"Pardon me, but I'm Agent George Ginzu from the Delta Red MI-6 British Intelligence. I recognized your picture from our briefing with Interpol." He quickly flashed his ID and credentials to them. "I'm glad to see you're in one piece. We weren't sure who made it out alive from that explosion. Medics are still pulling out casualties from the destruction site."

By that time, news of their arrival was made known. Other agents and medics began to crowd them as a nurse immediately stepped in to take her vitals, while another began treating the injuries on Ken's face.

"Someone bring the stretcher and get these two to the camp!" One agent called.

"Not sure I can say the same for our friends." Ken said sadly. "We came in by boat and saw the explosion from the river, knowing they were all still inside."

"You mean the other hostages were still inside?" Agent Ginzu asked.

Ken nodded.

"That's terrible. I hope to hear something soon. Our own commander, Colonel Wolfman was caught in that blast as well…Poor chap; hope he makes it out alright."

During that plight of silence, the small Delta Red agent's eyes then went on suspiciously to Vega, whom had gone unnoticed up until that point. "And you sir?" He asked. "Who are you?

The tensely still silence should have been a dead giveaway.

Vega hesitated in his words. "Well I…"

Chun-Li found Ken eyeing her knowingly through the transition.

"I…" he attempted to continue.

"He's with us!" Ken spoke in finally. "He helped us escape."

Their eyes met, as Vega appeared as openly dismayed as Chun-Li. All of a sudden Ken was covering him?

Ginzu's eyes peered at Vega. "You're working with Shadowlaw?"

"No…"

A robust and balding agent of supposed seniority stepped that time. "Well we're to need an ID and statement from you sir." His expression soon contorted initial confusion. "How did you know they were out here?"

Vega stared hard at them but was clearly lost for words.

Finally, and after having not spoken since her arrival in this village, Chun-Li found herself saying, "When those Shadowlaw troops raided the home, I was on the phone with him. He heard the entire thing happen."

"Do you have a name?" A rather andric female officer inquired that time.

"Sabartes…" Vega retrieved a passport from his person and presented it to the agent. "Jaime Sabartes…"

Ginzu studied the passport as did the other agents. "So instead of calling authorities about what went on out here, you take it upon yourself to fly from Santa Catalina Argentina to come and rescue them?" He asked disbelievingly. "How could you even know that they would be out here?"

Vega's eyes were a cold stare of challenge when looking upon Ginzu's shorter smaller form. "A whim… We met in Bangkok months ago. Issues arose with them even back then. My guess was to come here and my own skillful interrogation brought me here… Are there further questions agent Ginzu?" His tone was demoralizing.

Chun-Li could see the young man had grown frustrated. He looked to her in question at this statement.

"He's right." Chun-Li admitted. "We met him some time ago while visiting Bangkok." She was left sore inside for having lied.

"Well we are going to ask you, Mr. Sabartes to remain with the hostages until we can bring someone in from the FBI to further question your stance." The female officer explained. "We need to detail as much of this as we possibly can."

Vega smiled coyly and nodded. "Fine with me."

***

Ken and Chun-Li were taken to the designated medical area for treatment of their injuries. Vega surprisingly had none. Due to the nature of her pregnancy and his more severe head and face inflictions, they were taken to separate areas. The large white tent she was placed in had wooden floor boards and was a small and rather primitive looking medical facility. Each exam area was sectioned off by thin curtains; therefore privacy was very limited.

The transporting tech, a young American woman helped her onto the provided cot. "The doctor will be in to see you soon. He would like to check your condition and monitor the baby."

"Thank you." Chun-Li said dismissively.

Once the tech was gone, her and Vega, who had accompanied her, were figuratively alone amidst the noise within the tent. Her eyes went to a saddened downcast as she felt him watch her. The impending silence was thick enough to cut.

Chun-Li remembered her words to him invoked by anger, wondering why even now he had remained. Perhaps he had to no choice in the matter, and the opportunity to leave had not arisen. What could she do at that point? She did not want to reciprocate his rather cruel and selfish actions and had hoped herself to be above that rather shallow mode of thinking. Maybe deep down those feelings of ill-intent were feigned, for disposition was opposed to such traits.

Chun-Li told him that he should have been killed, but she did not really feel this way. She wished death upon no one for emotions controlled the scenario on that boat. Grief caught her justified resentment while the resulting anger stirred her rather violent actions.

She finally relented in her remnant of pride. "I'm sorry…"

Vega seemed to find her statement amusing. "We all possess our moments of insanity…" His eyes averted downward. "I should know better than anyone…"

Adamantly she shook her head. "No I… I just didn't mean to say those things… to act the way I did. That wasn't me…"

Vega primped his hair and picked his lengthy nails uneventfully.

"That was just…"

"Your anger, your hatred, your pent up fear exploding in the matter…" He said finishing her sentence. He took a seat on the edge of the small cot where she sat.

Chun-Li bit the bottom of her quivering lip, looking down again. "Yes, I guess it was…"

He titled her chin upward with his hand so that their eyes met. His handsome face and delicate features had hardened and appeared naturally worn from the events.

It was there in that position where she noticed the bruises across his chest and collarbone from the punches she had executed earlier. Her expression faltered to a grimace "Oh I did that?"

Vega followed her gaze to his chest. "It appears that you did…"

"Sorry again. I really didn't think I was hitting that hard."

"Perhaps a woman of normalcy would not have left bruises, but you?" He chuffed. "Maybe you haven't measured your own strength. A worthy opponent you were in the ring all those months ago."

Chun-Li nodded.

He then took hold of her hand. "But I guess I in turn should thank you…"

She eyed him in question that time.

"…You and Ken both, for covering me that way… I certainly did not expect… nor deserve it…"

"But you saved our lives… what could we do?"

Vega nodded admittedly and stared strangely at her abdomen. "And that child…" His hand reached forward to touch her, to feel along the contour of her stomach. "My child..."

Though it hadn't moved much during her time in Bangkok, the fetus now forcefully shifted against where his hand now rested. The impact was powerful enough for her to wince in pain.

"He knows!" Vega said in amazement.

"That felt more like a revolt..." She added with a touch of sarcasm.

His eyes were strange again. "My child…" He then reached up and caressed her face. "All mine…"

A dread of unease crept in and she found herself backing away just in time for a middle aged man dressed in Navy pixel attire to make his way within the small curtained off exam room. His demeanor, his smile and even his mustache strangely reminded Chun-Li of her own father. She had to blink twice to realize the coincidence of it.

"I'm Dr. Morton. How are we feeling today Miss Xiang?"

Chun-Li smiled with relief. "I'm doing just fine despite our circumstance."

"Consider yourselves the lucky ones. I've seen some atrocities out of this entire ordeal."

"I can imagine."

"And you?" Morton looked to Vega. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Fine," Vega assured, "but if you could bring in some water I'd be most grateful."

"Allow a few moments while I take Miss Xiang's vitals."

An accompanying naval nurse entered the vicinity to assist Dr. Morton in his procedure. Chun-Li's heart rate along with the baby's was monitored, and then her blood pressure was checked. All of which had turned out surprisingly fine. Her wounds, gashes above her forehead were treated and finally the nurse supplied the both of them with water and something to snack on.

"So when can we expect to go home Doctor?" Chun-Li inquired as the medical staff prepared to leave the exam room.

Morton was silent momentarily, taking the time to jot down a string of what she imagined were 'prognosis' notes. His eyes looked back at her in a warm gaze. "Well that's determined by the officials, but you're free to go as early as today."

A flood of relief and circumstantial joy briefly overcame her. "Really?"

"Seeing all that you have been through, I don't see why you should even be kept here any longer. You especially are pretty damned lucky. All of you are."

Chun-Li shook her head sadly remembering her friends. "Not all of us."

As the nurse walked on to attend to other patients, Dr. Morton remained. His now noticeable light brown eyes studied her in question.

"I mean my friends. The other hostages that were taken captive the same time that I was. I don't think they made it out of the explosion…" Tears began to surface upon remembering the details.

Dr. Morton peered at her with a strange smile. It was obvious now that he knew something important she didn't. "No one informed you did they? Unbelievable… I guess with all of the mayhem, they forgot to tell you… or maybe they didn't even know themselves…"

Chun-Li shrugged. "Tell me what?"

"Your friends are all here. They're fine. In fact I just finished treating Major Guile and his wife just moments earlier."

Chun-Li was now lost for words and even mobility and was unable close her now gaping mouth.

Instead Vega used his hand to close it for her. "Please. That's certainly not a very flattering expression my dear…" He jested.

"But… how!?" she cried. Hormonal tears of joy flooded without warning.

"Major Guile, and Julia were found washed ashore approximately an hour or so after the explosion." Morton explained. "Apparently they were in the midst of a swimming escape when the place was destroyed. Your friend Ryu approached agents from the jungle. He told us he rolled out of an opening from the side of the mountain just in time. His bumps and bruises validate his own story."

"Oh… my… thank you God!!" She praised. The moment of that surrealism was all encompassing as the figurative obscurity was suddenly illuminated.

The doctor smiled. "It's a pleasure informing you. Now I'd hate to be rude, especially during this joyous occasion, but I have other patients that need my attending. If you'll excuse me Miss Xiang, Mr. Sabartes…"

Vega nodded dismissively in the Doctor's direction.

The moments were followed by a brief silence that was in Chun-Li's own attempt at composure. As she wiped her sodden puffy eyes the sound of a voice boomed loud throughout the large tent.

"I TOLD YOU IDIOTS THAT I DIDN'T WANT ANY DAMNED PEANUTS!!! You can stick them up your asses for all I care!!" Undoubtedly the person behind that tone of hostility was none other than Guile. It didn't stop there. "I need to see Charlie damn it! You didn't even give me a chance to see him!!"

Chun-Li stood in excitement and ran from her room and into the direction of the voice.

"William please don't do this…" She heard Julia say sadly. "They had to take him back to the states where he can get better treatment and actually have a chance at living. Please don't make a scene…"

Several feet down from her own exam room, Chun-Li's excitement faltered upon hearing the seriousness behind the conversation. Her steps then slowed as she stood just beyond the curtained off room containing Guile and Julia.

She turned to see Vega watching her from the opposite end of the corridor. Chun-Li motioned him back inside as she proceeded into their exam room.

"Major…" The nurse interjected. "We didn't have the resources necessary here to be able to treat his ailments accordingly. He's clearly suffered a massive amount of brain damage and without interjection from a more innovative method; we run the risk of losing him. Keeping him here any longer would have resulted in total brain death."

Chun-Li stood watching Julia and Guile, both somberly seated there on the cot. Neither of them first noticed her standing there.

"Do you understand now Major?" The nurse questioned after the long line of silence.

"Yeah…" Guile said sadly. "If it's for the best and all…. But I still think you all are a bunch of screw-ups!!"

"Fine…" The nurse hissed under her breath. She walked out passing Chun-Li and shaking her head with an understandable contempt.

"We'll see Charlie when we get home honey…" Julia assured him. "They couldn't do anything for him."

Guile's distraction was finally thwarted when he spotted Chun-Li. Julia's gaze soon followed his. What followed was the inevitable excitement of their reunion. Julia ran to her in an embrace, followed by Guile with a three-way hug.

"We saw the explosion from the river and I seriously thought you guys were dead…" Chun-Li spoke calmly. She was mindful of the sensitivity about Charlie.

"We thought the same about you all as well…" Guile said. "I'm glad you're alright kid…"

"And the baby?" Julia inquired, patting her belly.

"That's baby's fine… I just found out that the others are okay as well. I believe Ken and Ryu are in the other tent next door" She assured them. "Who would have thought that you were in the same tent and under our nose the entire time?"

The next few minutes were a string of events told in storyline by Guile and Julia on their ordeal. They told her about Charlie and how he had been held captive for the past two years by Bison, being subjected to dangerous mind control and other variant chemicals. They also explained their fight with Charlie, their escape, and finally how they were found. Like her own journey, the story was just short of astounding.

"Unfortunately Charlie isn't doing well and we found out that he had to be flown back to the states." Guile then told her.

"Yes I heard that… I'm sorry to hear…" She said somberly " but is there any word on your children?"

"One of the FBI agents here on the scene had a talk with us just a bit ago." Julia explained that time. "He said they were in custody of the state. Amy's been a bit frightened but they're all doing just fine."

"Turns out, our little girl hid in the house when those jerks ambushed us." Guile added in. "She called 911 and took care of her brother and sister while they arrived." Chun-Li could see what looked like a glisten of tears in his usually cold blue eyes. "Damn I'm so proud of that kid right now…"

"That's just amazing…"

"It is…" Julia replied tearfully. "I can't wait to see them."

With his eyes still locked on Chun-Li, Guile placed a comforting arm around his wife. "What about you kid? They didn't hurt you did they? How did you manage to escape that hell hole?"

"They tried, but I'm alright. Sagat rescued me from some crazy Doctor's and Vega helped me escape." Her reply only brought looks of confusion to their faces.

"Say what?" Guile's tone was surprisingly calm, but Julia only appeared horrified.

It was now Chun-Li's turn to tell them about the phone call she received from Vega the night of the attack. She talked about Sagat's rescue from the doctors who wanted to inject her baby as well as Vega's ambush and rescue of Ken and Ryu. It was when she met up with the three of them that she subsequently was able to escape by a motor boat with Ken and Vega.

"So you mean Ryu and Sagat stayed behind just to look for us?" Guile asked. "Sagat turned sides as well?"

"And they risked their lives doing it." Julia added. "How wonderful…"

"Vega was actually the one who called the British Intelligence Agency, who then got in touch and connected the information with the FBI about our capture that was given by your daughter… It looks like he immediately flew out here and raided the fortress in disguise, going unnoticed by Bison since it was assumed that he was dead" Chun-Li said and then looked down thoughtfully shaking her head. "I mean… he rescued us…

Guile appeared dumbfounded. "Gee… that pansy asshole is pretty damn clever." His expression hardened. "But that still doesn't make what he did, right…"

"I know I know, but you have to admit… without him our lives would be uncertain right now… as hard as it is to comprehend."

"Ironically enough…" Guile replied his tone remained hard. "And you were right all along… he is alive. I'm sorry for doubting you. I guess… I don't know how he did it, but damn should I really be surprised?"

Chun-Li shook her head somberly.

"And you guys are missing some additional good news!" A cheerful tone added from behind.

Chun-Li quickly turned to see both Ken and Ryu standing just under the folded back curtain. Though both men were equally bruised and battered but bandaged from their ordeal, they had assumed an equal air of uncontained joy in which she'd never seen in either of them. Seeing them there made her want to tackle them down with even more hugs.

"We ran into each other in the other tent. Ken informed. "This Dr. Morton told us that we'd find you guys over here… It's kinda strange but he looks a little like your dad…"

"Thought that as well…" Chun-Li admitted.

"Glad to see you guys are okay." Julia said. "I just can't get over how incredible this all is."

"Tell them the good news." Ryu urged his friend.

"They contacted my Dad during this mess and found out he funded this agency operation. He's actually sending someone out here to take us home by private jet.

"That's wonderful man!" It was a bit strange to see Guile so excited, but then again who wasn't in that moment?

"There's more." Ryu added as he nudged Ken.

Ken's eyes filled with tears. His faced had reddened and had strained to keep composure. His sudden turn of mood was confusing. He looked at Julia first. "Eliza… She didn't die…"

Julia's eyes widened at the news and soon fell against her husband in joyous sobs, not even giving Ken an initial chance to finish his explanation.

Ken leaned forward to pat his girlfriend's sister on the back as she continued in her emotional response to the news.

"It's alright Julia," Guile assured her.

"I actually just got off the phone with Dad. He and my Mom just flew out to New York to be with her. They're going to meet us when we arrive." Ken proceeded to explain. "He gave me an update on her condition. It looks like the bullet just grazed her temple, but it didn't penetrate her skull. She's in the hospital in intensive care, but she's doing better than she was."

"This is a miracle!" Julia sobbed. "This is just…" She couldn't even finish her sentence.

The five of them met in a strong and supporting group hug. A hand, she found later to be Ryu's, gently rubbed across the side of her distended belly and remained there, during the course of their five-fold embrace. Tears and laughter were exchanged and love emanated the surrounding. These were her friends and she was truly grateful to have them. The bond of friendship possessed potential to be wonderful and special. It was to fulfill the purpose of companionship. Perhaps the love of man had not fully waxed cold.

After some time, their encircled bond finally dissipated. Chun-Li looked up to find Vega standing there in the entranceway of the exam room watching them quietly. There was an expression of isolation, and even a relation to this sort of bonding that he could probably not fathom. He was an obvious and perhaps a natural outcast; something which could not be helped. In this she felt a small pinch of pity.

The air turned tense as everyone stood there to regard him quietly. Chun-Li was left uncertain as to why he was now there amongst their elation. Without words the silence lingered on and on; way longer than what she would have liked.

Guile thwarted the quiet air with a hard sigh and a slight grimace. He stared a Vega momentarily before stepping forward. The current juncture was ambiguous, and Chun-Li cringed at the thought of what her friend might do at that point. She pictured a fist meeting that pretty face and even closed her eyes to brace for it.

The real action was not expected, certainly not from Guile of all people. Chun-Li opened her eyes to see his hand outstretched in a friendly gesture.

Vega first peered curiously at him, but took hold of his hand in a firm shake.

Guile appeared unfriendly and was unsmiling while holding a penetrating stare but he said these words to him. "This lady here told me everything you did. What you sacrificed… How you came out here… I don't exactly get why you did it… I don't really even give a damn to know… But you saved our lives… Selflessly at that…"

Vega stared back quietly.

"With the utmost respect that you deserve for this, I personally want to say thank you… despite everything that's happened between us all in the past." Guile continued.

"Yeah thanks man…" Ken then spoke in. Ryu followed in soon after with his own appreciation, while Julia silently nodded his way.

Guile now regarded Chun-Li as he spoke on in warning to Vega, "This girl is my family now. So I'd expect you to handle your responsibilities…"

Vega nodded, gave a small smile and locked his expression onto Chun-Li. Before having a chance to speak on his own behalf, Dr. Morton along with two FBI agents bypassed him to make their way into the center of the small and now crowded room.

"We have just received official word…" Morton began to explain.

"Official word for what?" Guile questioned.

The doctor looked onto Ken. "Your father, Mr. Dalton Masters has sent a jet from Tokyo. It will be here this evening. You all have been released from my care and are cleared by the authorities to go."

"Really?" Julia cried, "That means we can see our babies?"

"Yes mam." One of the agents replied. "But first, let me introduce myself. I'm agent Dean Pandolfi, with the FBI. Agent John Lang and I," he said regarding the Asian man next to him, "are handling this portion of the Shadowlaw case and we wanted to brief you on the conditions of your departure."

"Yeah, so go on…" Guile said impatiently.

"You father's jet will be arriving this evening in Bangkok to return you to New York City by tomorrow night."

"Before ICE can assist in helicoptering you back to the capital city, we needed to ask you just a few more questions to bring some initial light to this part of the investigation…" Lang added in that time. "Once you arrive back home, expect to be questioned further, while we are in process… Now the very first and most important question we need to ask you is regarding M. Bison. Have any of you seen where he went?"

Chun-Li averted her gaze to Ryu, who in turn cooperatively answered the question at hand. "I saw him…" He replied.

"Where?" Pandolfi asked.

"After I went in to search for Guile and Julia, there was a control room… it's in the chamber just below the sight of the first detonation. A confrontation had ensured between us but he still managed to escape injured."

"You injured him?" Guile stepped in, but was ignored.

"Which direction did you see him go?" Lang questioned.

"The aircraft… He tried to escape in the aircraft through an opening at the escape route. He was stopped by some debris from the explosion. I saw the craft go down with my own eyes…"

His response was met with initial silence.

"There's no way he could have survived that crash..." Ryu added.

For reasons unknown to Chun-Li, the agent's expressions soon turned grim. They exchanged knowing glances, letting off defeated sighs.

Ryu stared at them. "What is it? Hasn't the downed craft been investigated?"

"Oh yes," said Lang. "There was an extensive investigation done on the aircraft as well as the surrounding area. At this time it is still ongoing…"

"So then what's the problem? What's preventing you nut-jobs from doing your job?" Guile demanded.

"Only one body was found." Pandolfi interjected. "The pilot's… there were no other bodies that fit the description of Bison."

"That's impossible!" Ryu cried. "The debris that hit the craft easily weighed several tons. There is no way he survived the explosion."

"Well unfortunately at this point, Bison remains at large…"

***

The string of questions ended in circles of confusion on the whereabouts of the General M. Bison. At that point the FBI, along with the interagency structure of Interpol were left without answers as to the whereabouts of this international perpetrator. Hundreds were in custody as a result of this large raid, but their key suspect had yet to be found. The realization of this matter released an unsettling array of mixed emotions throughout the international law enforcement community.

Chun-Li and her companions were flown from _Na Yang Klak_ by helicopter to the _Suvarnabhumi _International Airport in the capital city of Bangkok. Awaiting them there in the private sectored outdoor terminal was Dalton Master's stunning sleek jet.

Above them, the sun was setting in the evening sky, creating that beautiful and familiar orange hue along her surroundings. To Chun-Li the incandescent horizon symbolized the ending twilight of that constant state of despair.

In reflection, Guile stared briefly up at the sky. "I don't get it…"

"Get what?" Julia asked him.

"How could Bison have escaped if he was in as bad of a shape as Ryu indicated?"

"I noticed there was something not right about him in the end…" Ryu replied. "When I hit him with that fireball, his face changed… He was aging."

"You mean you exercised the Hado technique?" Ken asked.

Ryu nodded contenplatively. "I had to… He would have killed Sagat if I didn't… But Bison said something strange that lead me to believe that he wasn't entirely human like we first might think…"

"What did he say bro?"

"He said he had no use for his body, like he could easily recycle…"

"That's just damned strange." Guile muttered.

Vega spoke in. "It's a project Shadowlaw had been discussing for years now… The Psycho Drive project… A very top secret operation that even I, a former head official for the organization, know nothing about… the man I killed back in Bangkok headed up the project." He glared in thought of Dr. Luvco. "That ugly clod disillusioned himself into thinking he could win some noble peace prize for his work. How absurd it all was..."

"What's a Psycho Drive?" Chun-Li asked.

"It centers upon the ability to genetically engineer a body into allowing the sustenance of electromagnetic energy to course through in currents via the nervous system… That is, to interface them somehow. Which is why he may have said something about a "new body" Ryu. The process has, I'm sure, taken well over fifty years of research and process. These are experiments that one body alone could not handle. One would certainly need additional bodies as a back-up, wouldn't you say? Clones come into mind when I think of such things." Vega explained. "Again, I'm not entirely familiar with the operation, and just that portion alone does not connect well like it should. I know that there is more to this story and where Bison is concerned, I believe we could be dealing with an entity that is beyond the flesh… There are rumors that he is over hundreds of years old."

"That's crazy!" Guile half shouted, "Of all the ridiculous--"

"I know…" Vega interrupted and stared off in thought. "But what it must be like to possess power and eternal life…"

"Something I could not care to want." Ryu said.

"Well I hope they just find that bastard… the world will be a much safer place once those knuckleheads do what they need to do." Guile spoke indifferently.

He and Julia were first to board the jet that was equipped with an impressive line of upscale amenities that neither had ever seen. They spent the first few minutes ogling the state of the art massage chairs, wet bar, video display and sleeping quarters. Then Guile requested that an action movie featuring Jean Claude Van Damme be played across the big sixty inch monitor. Perhaps to him, such a movie was best suited for the nature of the occasion

Ryu was next to board the flight. But upon settling in, he fell asleep too exhausted to do much of anything else.

Chun-Li remained with on the ground with Ken and Vega before it was her turn to start up the staircase and into the plane. "Your Dad is such a nice man for offering so much of himself to us." She commented.

Ken smiled. "Yeah my old man is a good guy. Even though he's not around like I want him to be, he still tries to do the right things." He sighed. "I know it's hard sometimes, but it's time like this when you just realize that life is just too damn short to be constantly separated from friends and family. His company is his livelihood and all and he's done well… He's successful… but maybe he could make more room for his family?"

"He will…" Chun-Li assured. "Just tell him how you feel. Things like that will take some time to adjust."

"Hell, the man is old enough to retire if he wanted, and I can't even remember the last time I saw him in person. If I ever have a son, I want to spend as much time with him as I can…" Ken nodded. "and Eliza… I'll never take that lovely girl for granted again. When she gets well enough, I'm gonna marry her."

"That would be wonderful." Chun-Li nodded. "I know that's what she wants. She hinted at it enough." Her eyes briefly looked at Vega to find that he had been watching her the entire time.

She could see that Ken was now getting choked with emotion over the matter. "Yeah and now that I almost lost her, I know where my priorities rest..." He then turned to Vega as he started to board the airplane. "You are more than welcomed to accompany us to New York. My father will see to it that you are flown to wherever it is that you need to go…"

They both looked to him for a response.

Vega smiled, appearing to be genuinely appreciative, "I am quite thankful for the offer, but I will attempt to find my own way back…"

Chun-Li's smiled faded. The twinge of disappointment she felt was rather absurd from her stance.

"Trying to remain concealed like this is pain enough…" He added.

"So when do you intend reveal that you are in fact alive?" She asked him questionably, surprised at how demanding she sounded. "You can't keep going on like this."

Vega sighed pondering on her words. "No you're right. I had intended to come out once the media received air of this huge breakthrough in Shadowlaw. Somehow I feel that Bison knows I'm alive, so I remain unsure as to whether it is better to stay in hiding."

"Just come with us." Ken commanded. "No more objections. You will be less recognized in the states and we can put the issues behind us…" Without further any convincing, he proceeded up the stairs and onto the idling, leaving them now alone.

"We all lied for you." Chun-Li told him. "We stood up for you because you were there for us. You heard what Ken said. Whatever wrong you've done, is now between you, God, and the authorities. I'm out… We're even."

Vega gently caressed the side of her cheek with the back of his fingers. "You're so beautiful in your persuasiveness. Could I turn down such a face?"

She didn't acknowledge his statement as she was left confused by her words and actions. An inner voice screamed 'what are you doing?' in relation to this moment. The thought had even crossed her mind that perhaps Vega was even using his own whit to charm her and her friends; as if this was all just another showing front. Maybe his selfless actions of brave rescue would be turned for his own undetermined advantage.

Then again she thought of Sagat's words to her. People could change, situations may change…

Chun-Li peered up at the now dusky sky in lieu of this new thought, and then back into his eyes. "I think I can safely say that…" She hesitated in her faltering words.

"Speak my dear…"

The tears shimmered now as she looked around. "I feel so… peaceful, where is this coming from?"

Vega leaned in closer to her, speaking just above a whisper. "You know very well where this feeling is coming from lovely… It's been with you all along…"

Her voice cracked. "Oh God… I forgot what this feeling felt like. It was just… lost to me."

"Never lost… just concealed by ruins of life…"

She never expected one like Vega to be so insightful and full of wisdom, yet his words all made sense to her.

Vega looked towards the opening on the jet. "So let us be on our way… There is a long journey ahead"

"Vega… I…"

He turned slightly. "Hmm? What is it?"

"I forgive you…"

There was slight hesitation at first, but soon she found his arms encircling around her.

"I forgive you for everything…"

"Then why are you crying?"

"Because it's gone… this ill feeling. I don't feel it anymore."

"Yes… that infestation of the soul, that acidic poison of resentment…." As he held her, Vega peered upward into the twilight dimmed heavens. "It's all so curious isn't?"

After a while they joined the others on the flight and soon it departed in destination for home. In the jet's upward ascent, Chun-Li could see the night-fading terrain of Thailand with its flashing scatter of city lights. In seeing it there a sense of unease overtook her. The thought of M. Bison out there roaming the globe like the predator he was left her shaken and dejected in the same respect. Everything Dorai Xiang had strived for to get this case solved had just seemed pointless now. His death was in vain.

Now saddened at the thought Chun-Li took the time to recline the leather seat, allowing her tired feet to elevate in the process. The child inside her rolled always aimlessly and soon settled into a new position.

An older Jean Claude Van Damme movie appeared on the screen before them, obviously one of Guile's choices. However Chun-Li didn't even make it passed the opening title before the effects of sleep took hold.

At one point in the convolute of her dreamful state, she thought she heard someone whisper in her ear, "You are protected…"

**_*This is the end of Part 2*_**

**Author's Notes:** _The final installment of Part 3 (Strength in Love) will be posted soon! This breif three chapter conclusion will put an end to this story. I want to thank you for reading and even taking the further time to submit your feedback through reviews and emails. You have been an aid to my inspiration!_

_Regards,_

_-C_


	19. New Grounds New Territory New Focus

**PART III**

**Strength in Love**

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

**New Grounds New Territory New Focus**

The white jet was sleek and bright in the night sky as it descended over the air field like a cloudy dream. After several hours of anticipation, anxiety and waiting, they were finally here.

Her parents along with their friends landed in Fort Belvoir Virginia, a military installation located just north of Washington D.C.

Through aid of the proper federal authorities, Amy with her siblings Nathan and Leanne were able to stand by outside and watch the Masters private jet touchdown on the runway.

All the anxiety in which she had hosted the past week and a half suddenly lifted upon seeing her father exit, followed by her mother. Both appeared worn and visibly scarred by the ordeal but the spirit of life encapsulated them and there it laid, that glimmer of fortitude that invalidated the entirety of their rough exterior. All of them held that same façade; Uncle Ken, Chun-Li and Ryu…

Perhaps she couldn't quite piece the words in her young mind, but the occasion was beautiful.

Her father's solid arms embraced her, lifting her small body from the ground. He was now there to wipe her tears away. Kissing the side of her face he heartedly whispered "I'm so proud of you…"

Her mother Julia gathered the sleeping twins in her arms. Nathan and Leanne were unaware of what had transpired and Amy was relieved to know they would not remember this terrible time and only wished for them from now on, a life of comfort, happiness free of trauma and pain.

It was then, as the others surrounded her father and herself in the joyous reunion, that she noticed the man that had accompanied them on their flight. His lengthy brown hair, strange blue eyes, and handsome face; Amy remembered him from months ago in New York. Sure he appeared different, significantly different but Amy could not doubt who he was.

On top of that, adult discussion was never something she was ever permitted to partake in, not if her father had anything to do with the matter, but Amy remembered the words of negativity that surrounded this man. Of course there had been other important things to ponder; Hello Kitty, horses, Disney… But in her eight year old mind, the strings of words she allowed herself to remember and to know was that this man was dangerous.

As she watched him Amy was left with an isolated confusion as to why he was even present among them. His eyes cut her with an icy glare and her confusion transitioned into a sordid uneasiness.

Dalton Masters had provided the Shadowlaw Heroes two black limousines for hire just beyond the Belvoir airfield.

"Shadowlaw Heroes" had been a newly dubbed term by the media as leaked information hit the international broadcasting spectrum. Federal authorities had done all they could to keep the press out until a more thorough investigation had been executed on Bison and his whereabouts.

It was to no avail however, as the limousines left just beyond the military gates they were met by droves of media press waiting for them outside. Reporters bombarded the black tinted windows of the vehicles in acts of desperation to get the news first. As the cars inched their way through the mob, hands pawed and clawed at the glass, a synthesized tangle of shouting could be heard just outside.

Chun-Li occupied the first limo with Ryu, Ken and Vega, while Guile and his family occupied the second. Law enforcement escorts lead the way as well as reared the back. Reporters shoved and pushed one another out of the way. Just as violence was about to break between competing media sources, military intervened and order was enforced.

She was left in awe of the mayhem outside around them. "Wow! I didn't realize this story was so big!"

"But of course it is…" Vega interjected. "…Shadowlaw was an international threat. The case is literally blown wide open so these rats outside are aiming for better pay, a promotion, or at least some form of recognition." His tone was sharp to match his tensed on-edge exterior.

"One thing my father taught me in times like this…"Ken spoke in. "Avoid the press at all cost."

"Especially with the way things are," Ryu added "they still haven't captured Bison. It makes me nervous that all of this has made headlines so quickly."

"Yeah well," Ken replied, "I don't care about any of this… I just want to see my lady… I gotta be by her side."

They were headed into the city of Washington D.C., a thirty minute drive to first meet Ken's Father. His corporation was running a conference for young college graduates with aspirations of becoming corporate executives that weekend at the Mandarin Hotel near 12th street. Mr. Masters was honored as a guest speaker. With the press circulating his son's name and the ordeal that Ken and his friends had gone through, one would have thought Dalton Master's own flesh and blood would have been of first priority. One would have expected him to be there at that runway this evening waiting on his son to arrive alongside Amy and her newborn siblings. However what remained most fitting was Master's devotion to the company and how his image would uphold in the eyes of shareholders and future employees. This was the less ideal and disturbing truth. While this notion bothered Chun-Li, Ken seemed unfazed. A life of highest privileges such as his always required some sort of sacrifice and he could not even see through the absurdity. In high stress times, even where his life had been on the line, Ken always went to his parents and they never went to him.

"Let's drown out this ridiculousness outside." Ken muttered switching on the overhead radio. Rap music blared from the surrounding speakers. "There… that's much better."

"If you say so," Ryu said doubtfully.

Order had finally been contained enough for the line of vehicles to safely exit the premises. Red and blue lights flashed from the patrol car beacons alongside them in a pattern of frenzy to match the chaos outside. Chun-Li could see in the distance where CNN had set up camp just fifteen yards away. From the other side she could see Fox News. Just ahead through the sun roof, a local news chopper stalked their path.

"Looks like they'll be meeting us in the city now," Ryu sighed, "This is ridiculous…" His eyes meet Chun-Li and they softened. "I know it was a long flight back there… How are you feeling?"

"Good I suppose. I'm pretty exhausted."

He smiled warmly at her, something he rarely ever did, "I know, same here…"

The Mandarin Oriental was an exquisite five star hotel that sat overlooking the Potomac River. From her top floor suite reserved by this generous Mr. Masters, Chun-Li had a beautiful view of the Jefferson Memorial just across the body of water. From another window at the other corner of the room, she could see the George Washington monument that stood high. Its white marble exterior glowed against its showcase lighting in the now night sky.

It was her first time in the District of Colombia and she was at a disappointment to know that there was not enough time to sight see the city's core components, just blocks away. Between now and when it Mr. Masters would come greet them, there was only time for a quick shower and preparation to get dressed in the clothing that was provided her.

After her shower, Chun-Li stepped out onto her balcony just in her towel taking a moment to allow some of her hair to dry in the cool breeze, and to free up some time having to blow dry it all out.

A knock sounded at her door.

Hurrying back inside she gave herself no opportunity to first see who it was.

Ryu stared back at her, more embarrassed by her appearance than she was. His eyes quickly focused elsewhere to divert from the fact that she was wearing only a small towel that covered her round figure. Then to make his matters worse, he was just as equally awkward in the attire he was wearing. It was strange to not see him in his usual martial arts gi. Though tattered and worn it suited him more than anything else.

"What do you have on?" Chun-Li had to stifle a laugh as she gazed over the semi casual blazer with freshly pressed khakis tightly fitted over his muscular form.

Ryu rolled his eyes. "Let's not discuss that right now. Instead let's discuss why you're not ready since it's now time…"

"Already?" she cried. Chun-Li quickly rushed toward the armoire where her clothing resided.

"Mr. Masters is on his way upstairs to greet us. Let's make this into a big deal because his entourage and camera crew are in toe."

With clothing in arm she clamored into the bathroom to dress herself while Ryu waited for her just beyond in her room. "Oh Gawd, I'm just getting out of the shower!"

"Well I'm here. I will wait for you," he said.

As to be expected, they arrived in the nearby private conference room several minutes after the Masters entourage had arrived. They wanted to make it personal and as sentimental as they could, but failed miserably, especially since thirty people filled the room to include body guards, photographers and other important figures.

The two of them stepped in just in time to see young Amy being presented with an award from the Department of Homeland presented by the agency's secretary Janet Napolitano, for her act of bravery in taking the initiative of reporting the so called "bad men" as Amy put it, to the authorities. She was also presented with an official signed letter from the President of the United States to further validate her heroic actions. This was all a huge deal for the young girl.

Guile was visibly proud. He was in his military dress blues standing alongside his family as they were busy being photographed by official press. This current commotion allowed Chun-Li and Ryu to take their time and ease in next to Ken.

"Errrmm, where the hell were you guys?" He muttered under his breath.

"Thought I'd have more time… Sorry…" Chun-Li whispered. Her eyes scanned the many faces in the room realizing that Vega was not one of them.

"My dad's pretty punctual and means business, especially if he can hold persuasion and influence in inviting people from the President's Administrative staff…"

"Sorry again!"

"Believe me I didn't think the old man would go all out like this. The secretary of Homeland Security… really?"

"It's alright…" Chun-Li assured "really, it's my fault." She looked around for Vega once again. Still he was not seen and at the same time no one seemed to take notice of this.

Just then Dalton Masters accompanied by his wife Fujiko, approached the three of them just after conversing with one of the important officials. "Oh Kenneth, so glad your friends have finally decided to join us." There was a touch of distinguished sarcasm that only someone of his higher influence could get away with without anyone coming away offended.

Chun-Li only blushed smiling nervously. "Please sir I do apologize."

"It's alright my dear." Mr. Masters assured. He was quite appealing in looks for someone nearing fifty. His wife Fujiko, Ken's mother, originally from Japan upheld an air of sophistication that esteemed the two of them as a couple. Yet on a much smaller scale, her petit frame and almost shy exterior made her appear fragile and sweet natured. Chun-Li instantly liked them. Any preconceived notion she held of them before quickly dissipated upon this first encounter.

"Dad, mom, I'd like you to meet my good friend Chun-Li Xiang…" Ken stepped in.

"It's such a pleasure Mr. and Mrs. Masters. I cannot thank you enough for everything you've done for us, really."

"The pleasure is all mine Ms. Xiang. We've heard so many wonderful things about you." Dalton spoke.

"And of course you know Ryu." Ken added.

Ryu outstretched his hand to shake. "Sir…" He turned and bowed toward Fujiko. "Mam…"

"Nice to see you again Ryu… It's been a few years."

"It has…" he agreed.

"So Dad you've really outdone yourself this time, and we appreciate the welcome back but when can we head to New York? I need to see Eliza."

"They must not have told you…" Fujiko began.

"Told us what?" Ken inquired.

Dalton stepped in that time to relay the scenario. "Through permission of her family, we had Eliza transferred to the best hospital capable of treating her injuries."

Ken was beginning to look angry. "Which hospital?"

"The John's Hopkins's Hospital in Baltimore Maryland; it's only an hour north of here."

Chun-Li saw Ken's eyes widen at the news. He looked to Ryu and then back to his parents disbelievingly. "You mean… she's in the area?"

"So to speak…" Dalton replied. He self-consciously gazed up to look around and see if anyone was watching.

"That's great news…" Ryu said that time.

"Great thing we don't have to go far." Ken replied. "DC is a nice area and there's lot's to do. It will be a great time."

Chun-Li herself had never spent any time in Washington DC and jumped at the opportunity to be able to dive into the adventure. The nation's capital, though small by comparison to other major U.S. cities was certainly no experience to take lightly.

"We'll discuss the additional details and arrangements later." Dalton added seemingly now more distracted by his effort of publicity etiquette rather than family matters. It was interesting to see Ken pick up right on his father's silent appeals.

"This is great Dad; it will be nice getting to spend time with you and Mom for a chance. At least for a few days…"

Fujiko remained smiling but shook her head that time. "Oh no Kenneth… We have the conference this weekend and then your father and I will be flying out to Houston for another trade conference early Monday morning."

Ken's face fell and before he was able to get a word in edgewise Ryu sensed his best friend's rising trepidation and quickly stepped in to speak. "Wow you two stay so busy, but we'll be fine, right Ken?" Before Ken could even answer, he looked to Chun-Li asking the same question.

Chun-Li was not even given the opportunity to speak. Dalton, now growing impatient repeated his statement with an added sharpness to his tone. "I said we will discuss additional details later…"

Ken sighed and placed a calm hand on his father's wrist. "It's alright Dad… Really…"

Mr. Masters stared at his son momentarily in attempt to read the emotion Ken was attempting to conceal. "I know son, you all have been through hell these last several days. Believe me when I say that I do want to be there to spend some time with all of you. I'm a busy man you know, if I could I would want to make time for you. I swear…"

"Where's this coming from all of a sudden?" Ken's tone sharpened and the growing tension made everyone around uneasy. "I mean you throw this big circus here, with all the uppity to-dos. Camera men, body guards, the god-dammed secretary of Homeland security, signed letters of authenticities… the whole works… Was this done out of love? Guilt? Or was this another good publicity practice to fill your pockets even more?"

"Ken…" Ryu placed a hand upon his friend, but it was quickly rejected.

"Don't touch me! Stay out of this Ryu…" Ken stared at his father who stood there lost for words and probably mortified beyond belief. "I mean really. Must you always go over the top? For once couldn't it have just been us, me with my close friends? When's the last time we've even done anything with the family without some ass-kissing loser company associate tagging along to "keep an eye on me" while you gallivant off on other important matters, instead of me your own son?"

The silence was so thick it would have been cut with a knife.

Dalton Masters' eyes remained at a downcast. He was lost for words and in turn could not present an argument on his own behalf.

His mom Fujiko slid a small arm around her son. "You do know that your father and I love you…"

Ken only closed his eyes shaking his head. "It's always the same thing…" He whispered. "The same damned thing…"

By now the others in the room had focused elsewhere to uphold their professionalism and to keep family matters where they should remain. No matter how inappropriate they were at that time.

The pain Chun-Li saw reflected in Ken's eyes that evening had been nothing new in itself. She had seen this expression countless times but could never place a purpose or a reason behind it… until now.

"Well let's just wrap this up early." Dalton finally spoke up. His tone had once again been placed behind that stone wall of business and professionalism. Turning to his son he said, "Ken I promise to make this up to you…"

Ken shook his head again. "Is this guy serious? He must be reading off the stock script because I've heard this BS before." With that being said he pulled from his mother's half embrace promptly leaving the conference room. He didn't look back nor was he followed.

Vega knew to make his exit when the Department of Homeland Security at the Agency level, had become interested in the Shadowlaw story. Officials and Government law enforcement agents riddled the city and now was not a more a perfect time to make this rather cordial exit…

In all reality this was indeed nowhere near cordial on the level of norm, but only cordial for the given moment. The dust had settled for the time being and even that was only a temporary feat in this rather ambiguous transition. Being dead to the entire world did not mix with this limelight of situations and an exit of whatever sorts was crucial.

There was also the integrity of her friends that he had to stay mindful of; especially since he despised every one of them and could not trust them to any degree, regardless of the promise of secrecy in which was kept. Sure he saved had their lives, contributing to their media frenzied fame, but too many people within the premises posed too great a threat and in the end Vega only trusted himself.

With the clothes that had been provided him by the Masters Corporation, he wasted no time to quickly change in his room and make a stealthy exit from the hotel that evening.

As he walked in the crisp cold night, making his way down street toward the nearest metro station that would take him to the nearby Reagan National airport, he dialed the head household caretakers of his estate.

In recent times, his funds had surely dwindled and Vega had no choice but to notify them of his existence and details about how he was able to feign his own death. They weren't surprised by his actions nor did they exactly appreciate the mess he'd made of things for them on their end. Yet they couldn't complain about the money. It had always been good for them none the less and they were careful to voice anything that would disrupt such privileges. Vega knew this aspect well and took comfort in knowing his secret was safe with them, regardless of how reluctant they were in participating. His family had oppressed theirs for a number of years and therefore it had become such an all too familiar custom.

The Botellas were appointed soul executors of his estate since there were no blood relatives as of yet to claim the fortune. This had gone into effect through court documents officially months after the burial and right before they had a chance to take full advantage of their newly gained wealth. Vega's return from the dead came in form of a phone call.

Surely he had rained on their parade, shattered hopes, dreams, and compromised freedom. It was made obvious in their initial tone.

Since that fateful day he had been dialing them on occasion to ensure they were regularly dropping money into the bank account under his pseudo name, or else a violent death was certain for the both of them. Vega would surely turn that looming threat into a promise.

He finally terminated his call with the Botellas once it was confirmed more money had been transferred online into his account.

Now with his wallet satisfied he set foot toward the L'Enfant Metro station, just 2 blocks from the hotel. He could waste no time vacating the city.

Under the Marc train bridge, he passed a bum lying on the wide sidewalk and soon following this scene was the pungent smell of stale urine.

Vega grimaced in anger. He stifled the insanity and resisted all urges to kill the wretched creature in his presence. Yet on the same token, it was also this sore disgusting sight which forced his mind to something beautiful.

Something beautiful, something lovely, something to make his heart soar…

_Chun-Li…_

His pulse increased at the mere thought of her. Vega halted abruptly in his tracks coming to grips with this hasted moment. Things were now civil and she had forgiven him. She actually wanted him around. Why on earth was he leaving?

A light breeze tussled his lengthy hair as it whisked passed him toward the Mandarin Hotel Oriental. The luxury hotel loomed in its showcase lights at the top of the hill and he pondered at the sight.

The air was still and the night was quiet. He remained in his thoughts momentarily until an awful noise in the form of words, disrupted the dark setting. "A revelation of his wisdom! A revelation of his gain! A revelation of his triumph! A revelation of his pain!"

Vega peered ahead to see that same foul vagrant he had recently passed had now held an odd dead stare on him. His schizophrenic ramblings held a hidden meaning that Vega refused to engage in.

They locked eyes momentarily until Vega calmly made his way toward the filth. As he approached, he could see nothing more than his widened eyes of terror amongst the jungle of matted facial hair.

"The beast within!" The man shouted in fret. He was loud enough now to draw attention and Vega did not want that. Second by second the surge pulsated.

"The revelation of his…" Vega kicked the man's face in before the utterance could be finished. A sickening crack was heard at the impact of his blow.

At once the man bellowed out an inhuman cry of both pain and fright. Hastily he scrambled to stand and flee but was met with another series of roundhouse kicks to the face and chest sending him against the concrete wall. It was everything Vega could do to make contact with the vile thing. Grabbing the lapels of his tattered overcoat he slammed his back against the wall and starred into his bloodshot yellowed eyes.

"The only beastly thing I see before my eyes is you my God forsaken soul…" He hissed at the man.

The beggar screamed, his breath reeked of cheap booze and tooth decay, but no one came to his aid. Vega knew he needed to take full advantage of the opportunity while it lasted. Holding one arm tightly across his throat, he used his free gloved hand to seize the serrated knife from his person.

"The soulless deity! Will it not depart, that razor toothed leviathan! That demon of pride. Depart I say in the name of all which is holy! All that is-" The man's words sharply broke off as his throat was sliced open and the inside of his windpipe was exposed in the cold air. Blood fauceted down him and the breathless rattling and gagging replaced all sounds recently human and familiar.

This vagrant's blood held no beauty in the sight of Vega. In the dark night it looked of nothing more than sludge… raw sewage even and he sprang back dropping the knife before it could make contact with his perfection.

The homeless man slumped down against the concrete wall; his bloodied death was concealed within the night shadows. From this angle it appeared to be nothing more than a drunken stupor.

Vega exhaled sharply in the frigid air. The intensity, that surge dissipated and once again he was resumed. His eyes again gazed upon the hotel. The regal upstanding building of nobility suddenly appeared reluctant for his return.

The main bar of the hotel's lounge was opened into the early hours of morning. This had given Ken plenty of time to not only drown his feelings of agitation in the provided liquor; but it had also given him opportunity to contemplate what he would deem important now and for the rest of his life. The decisions that coursed through his inebriated thought process seemed like attainable feats in that moment. Yet in reality it was a lot to muster.

He knew his Father cared for him in his own right, yet in the same notion Ken also knew where the old man's priorities remained. That would never change even after that small scene he'd made upstairs in front of the important government officials.

Dalton Masters had a business to run and an image to uphold. Ken could only now respect this circumstance. He also couldn't help but to pity his father for having to remain in this figurative bondage for the rest of his life.

Ken downed the remainder of his _Chivas Regal_, smirking in humor at his thoughts. "The poor bastard…"

"Feelin' sorry for yourself?" A voice next to him inquired.

Ken turned, outwardly unsurprised to see Guile sitting on the stool next to his, elbows propped upon the bar top. In all honesty he was the last person Ken expected to be there in the aftermath of recent events. He and Guile never saw eye to eye on much and truthfully he didn't expect that to ever change.

"Nah, just thinking out loud I suppose…" Ken finally replied. Guile had an intimidating quality to him. His icy blue eyes did not help matters and in the still silence Ken nervously pivoted in his bar stool while edging his fingers along the rim of the empty scotch glass. "I see you ditched the monkey suit…" he spoke in lightly, upon noticing that Guile no longer wore his military dress blues.

"It's against military protocol to hang out in a bar wearing any gear. It brings disrespect upon me and my rank, as well as the military." His voice and tone remained expressionless.

"Gotcha…"

"I'll have whatever he's having." Guile ordered the bartender, "and give him another while yer at it…"

Ken raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you supposed to be spending time with the family."

"Well if I want to regain my bit of sanity, I damned sure need to take the edge off a bit before I can be the father I need to be for my children. Especially after this circus of an ordeal..." Guile downed the first scotch as soon as it was handed to him. "Besides… they're all out for the night. It's been a long day. That flight was endless…"

"Tell me about it. It will be nice to unwind a bit… See my lady. You know my father had her transferred out here. Chun-Li, Ryu and I will probably just stay around the area for a bit."

"Yeah I heard…" Guile simply said, then proceeded to order them another round of drinks. Ken hadn't even finished the initial one he had ordered.

"And what about Charlie? Any news?"

Guile remained staring straight ahead. "Nah… All I heard was that they have him over at the Walter Reid hospital in Bethesda Maryland… state of the art military hospital. Best in the country…"

"You mean he's here near DC also?"

"Yeah about a twenty minute trip… Plus the military has granted me a leave of absence for a while."

"So you guys are staying here too then…"

"Well yeah plus Julia wants to see Eliza and all… We may stay through Christmas"

"The more the merrier I guess…"

The silence surmounted. This small talk was not the reason Guile was down here with him, this he knew. Guile was never a man of small talk; always straight forward and to the point.

Ken clutched his glass preparing himself for an earful from his soon to be brother-in-law and right now the scotch seemed to be working to help temporarily erode the walls of militancy away from his usually rigid exterior.

"Ok Masters, so I didn't grow up rich like you…" Guile said finally breaking the blanket of silence.

Ken dared to respond to that comment. Instead he waited for Guile to finish.

"I can only imagine what it feels like to get any and every damned thing in the world that I want, anytime I want…"

"It sure doesn't fulfill a person…"

"I can't guess that it does…" Guile downed his third glass and ordered a fourth. Finally his blue eyes locked with Ken's. "Family is where the heart is." He touched his fist lightly to his chest upon the area of his heart and tipped his glass back.

Ken watched on in silence. He was unclear as to where Guile was headed with his point. It was sure to surface… Somehow.

"I grew up in rural Texas. My father was a trucker and my mother stayed home to raise me and my older sisters." His stare faltered as he recounted his past. "We didn't have much… unlike you… but I hated my father for never being there. Never being an example, especially since I was the only boy out of four kids. I guess it's that much we have in common. He was always on the road… working, tearing up miles and for what?"

"I mean I know my Dad has made this business his life. I guess in a sense this business is like a disembodied sibling that I'm competing against… and losing horribly to…"

Guile laughed that time. It was the first time out of all these years he knew him that Ken had heard him laugh. "Kid you're a weirdo… but I guess if you want to look at it that way, it sorta makes sense…"

"I guess I should just come to grips with it…"

Guile downed his fourth glass and Ken prayed in his mind that he would not go for a fifth. "Easier said than done… I know too well." He paused to sigh. "I almost made the same mistake that my old man did; except I chose to leave… It wasn't like my job had mandated it. I opted to go…"

"When Charlie first went missing…"

"Yeah…" Guile said regretfully. "I guess I just realized one day…"

"Realized what?"

"Everyone's purpose in life doesn't always fit into the mold of how we want it to be… But it's still for a reason. My old man wasn't home much, but he paved the way in order me to have what I needed in my own life; to have a good career, a family… He taught without actually teaching that he was doing the best he could do to take care of his responsibility in the best way he knew how regardless of the fact that he wasn't there. Through his own sacrifices I guess it made me realize that I wasn't holding my end of responsibility when I deserted my girls… Julia, Amy… I was such a selfish asshole."

"But now you know…" Ken said, now swept away in his own thoughts.

"Yeah… and I suppose I'm drunk or something." Guile told him. His eyes now were at a downcast. "I don't even know what my initial point behind all this was. It just came across as sappy and cliché… a damned mess…"

"It's alright... I think I understand what you're getting at."

Guile looked at him, the corners of his eyes now bloodshot from the effects of drinking the amount of scotch in such a short time span. "Yeah? Really?"

"My father did this for me… The business, the nice house, the cars, the endless security… I realize that. His hard work and pressed time are paving a way for me to make something great out of my life… and to learn from his mistakes…"

"Exactly…" Guile half smiled that time then stood initially wavering in his stance until he was able to maintain balance. "Now I should get to bed…"

"So soon?" He joked.

Guile only threw him a peripheral glare and soon disappeared through the lounge entrance. As he was leaving he ordered the bartender to have all the drinks placed on his room tab.

After he was gone, Ken had to laugh at recent events. Regardless of how sappy or even cliché his future brother-in-law thought his words had sounded, he was able to see reason and meaning behind them reflecting in his own life. That much was appreciated.

She dreamed the child inside of her had cut its way out of her womb in a bloody matricidal ordeal, mutilating soft tissue and arteries. In that altered state of reality and at the brink of her demise, it surprised her, how much she bled. Gallons upon gallons of blood poured endlessly and everywhere.

The pain and shock were real in her mind but Chun-Li never once laid eyes on her child's face as it made initial headway from its uterine captivity. However she did spot something alarmingly unsettling. From beyond the crude-cut abdominal incision and strapped to the tiny infants hand was the all too familiar weapon, the claw.

Chun-Li now awake, found her eyes focused in her dark room on the digital alarm clock. It was almost two am. A cold sweat had surfaced on her brow.

Of course in reality the child remained tucked away safe inside of her. The blood bath was not there but what lingered was a dull ache at the base of her abdomen where she had been cut in her dream. With a groan she sat up and waited for the Braxton-Hicks contraction to subside, holding her belly in discomfort.

It took a while but the tightness soon passed and she was left now with the thoughts of her vivid disturbing dream. Another killer in the making, was that the prophetic meaning behind it? Or were they just subconscious fears brought out in strings of the lucid nightmare?

Whatever it had been, she could no longer sleep. Completely wide awake she switched on the nightstand lamp and placed her feet flat on the floor. There was a slight chill in the air. She hugged herself realizing the glass door to the balcony had been left partially ajar. Chun-Li couldn't recall leaving it opened but in her earlier haste to attend the meeting with Mr. Masters, it wasn't a farfetched possibility.

She shut and locked the glass door. The cold air was now instantly barred and she made her way in to use the bathroom, pondering the evening's events. Her mind remained on Ken and the tension in his family. She didn't know what to expect now that they were in located on new grounds in an unfamiliar area. She thought of Shadowlaw's lingering threat and the intuitive impression to remain below radar and out of the public eye. They were back on safe ground and though there was a sense of security surrounding them she certainly didn't feel safe. Dalton Masters was a well known figure throughout the business world. If anything this affiliation with him only made the figurative target on their back even larger.

Chun-Li was uneasy with all the menacing possibilities swirling in her mind. Though her nerves were agitated the child within her sensed none of this and slept peacefully within her. She returned to bed wrapping herself within the silk sheets of the king sized bed.

Her eyes focused across the room settling on the large glass door and the outside balcony beyond. She imagined Bison standing just beyond the glass, large white eyes staring, and an accompanied menacing grin to match.

Just go to sleep. She told herself having felt foolish for letting her imagination take hold. Her arm reached up to turn off the bedside lamp. Just as darkness engulfed the room, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her body. One hand held tight over her mouth, the other around her distended belly.

Holding her breath, the rise of panic seized her in that split second; her mind once again went to Bison. How could he have known where she was?

"Don't scream…" A familiar voice said softly.

Chun-Li's immediate alarm subsided, heart rate slowed. There was a momentary silence before the hand disengaged its hold over her mouth. She exhaled. "Vega?"

Instead of an initial response, she felt the weight of the bed shift next to her and soon the room was again illuminated by the opposite beside lamp.

She was not amused by his surprise. "How long have you been in here?"

"Long enough…" He appeared worn, more so than before.

"Why couldn't you just knock? Did you have to go through the balcony?"

He smiled and settled down next to her on the bed.

Chun-Li remained lying on her back. "You can't do that. Sneak up on me like that. My heart can't take it."

"My heart can't take you…" He said throwing her words back at her.

"What were you doing anyway? And where have you been?"

Vega's expression hardened as if remembering something. "I was planning my exit away from this place."

"Why?"

"Think about it… This is not the ideal situation for me to remain in. I gave my statement to the authorities already but if I stay here any longer things may not go so well later…"

Chun-Li nodded understanding his point. "Where will you go?"

His hand felt along the contours of her stomach, perhaps hoping for a response kick from the child within. There was something strong and alluring about the way her touched her, it unnerved her to no end. Sensing this Vega stopped. His eyes met hers softly. "The sky is the limit my lovely. I just want you by my side always."

"You know I can't do that…"

Vega glared at her words, tone turning embittered; "And I cannot remain here with your friends around."

"I'm sorry…" She really did mean it that time, and her sincerity seemed to help in the matter.

His voice was above a whisper now. "Then I shall not be far off." His eyes stayed fixated upon her for several more moments. "Why is it you captivate me so?"

"I honestly have no idea…" she replied flatly.

He positioned himself over her, face to face, eyes still locked. "It's like I cannot come down from this euphoria."

Chun-Li broke off eye contact without words to validate him. His feelings seemed unrealistic at times. For he was so far gone in himself that it was quite clear that there had been other underlying issues; someone like him thrived on an audience and she was it. Therefore she refused to engage in anything that would further him in delusions.

His hands caressed the side of her face gently.

"What do you want?" She asked in hesitation.

"I almost left here tonight."

"What made you turn back?"

"Do I really have to answer that question?" He looked away, eyes averted in thought. "I just know I can't remain here…" Shifting into a sitting position in the bed next to where she laid, he spoke on. "The media has found where we are. When I returned I saw that the hotel security had them kept at bay but they are only right outside at the small park across the street."

"This isn't good. Someone's leaked the news to the press and it's only a matter of time." Chun-Li said regretfully.

"The government has done a piss poor job at protecting a story with so many vital pieces missing. So much for integrity..."

She reached over to retrieve the remote from her bedside to activate the flat screen television just across the room on the credenza. It wasn't long before Vega's words were realized. There on CNN a reporter had gathered outside of the Mandarin Oriental to discuss possible new leads on the Shadowlaw case. She was surprised to see how much they knew about the case. Her late father was mentioned as a connecting motive for Shadowlaw's hostility, along with the British Intelligence MI-6 and Interpol.

Bison's face was plastered across headlines and it was the same on every major news network. To further demonize him, his connections to Al Qaeda, Central and South American drug cartels and human trafficking operations were also exploited to create a sense of urgency that he needed to be captured. The FBI had also officially made him one of the top ten most wanted fugitives in the world. They were serious. This aspect brought a sense of relief but she doubted they knew just what Bison was capable of. The entire scheme of things was way bigger than any of them could imagine.

Chun-Li promptly turned off the television set. "I hope they know what they're doing…"

"They want to create awareness for the people. I suppose they feel it is their prerogative to know." Vega explained. "I'm just glad I was able to get out when the opportunity was created."

"You mean in having an innocent man killed in your place." She corrected sharply.

Vega smirked but did not acknowledge her comment.

The silence following should have been anticipated. Chun-Li sighed still coming to grips with the realization that she was comfortably sitting with the man she should have hated. Forgiveness had been the only atonement for the wrong doing but yet and still she questioned the appropriateness of it all.

Fading out of her thoughts she found Vega watching her intently.

"Let it go…" He simply said.

"Excuse me?"

Vega grabbed both her hands pulling her up toward him so that they met face to face. "You are so easy to decipher. I see your inner struggles, with yourself, with me… Let it go."

"Easier said than done…" She said sadly.

Without warning he leaned in and kissed her. His lips were ice cold though it had been a while since he'd come indoors. What shocked her more was that she did not pull away like she wanted, and had so intended.

Vega pulled away in haste to remove his shirt.

Chun-Li's heart raced that time. Sweat began to bead at the brow as she stared wide eyed from that figurative corner he had placed her. "Wh- What are you doing? I… We…"

"I'm correcting my first errors… and helping you to let go…"

If it wasn't her imagination pulling illusions, she thought she saw his eyes sparkle in the dim lighting. This didn't help matters. It didn't help that he was so appealing when he should not have been. It didn't help that she knew he had entered her room with these intentions.

"You need to let go…" He insisted again.

Before Chun-Li could protest Vega kissed her again.


End file.
